OBJECTIVE: To assess heterogeneity in patient and physician preferences for multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment features and outcomes via a discrete-choice experiment (DCE).
METHOD: Patients with self-reported MS and physicians who treat patients with MS participated in an online DCE. Respondents chose between hypothetical treatment profiles defined by seven attributes with varying levels: years until disability progression, number of relapses in the next 10 years, mode of administration, dosing frequency, and risks of mild, moderate, and severe side effects. Latent class analysis was used to measure patients’ and physicians’ preferences and identify potential subgroups with distinct preferences.
RESULTS: Distinct treatment preferences emerged among subgroups of patients (n=301) and physicians (n=308). Patients in class 1 were most concerned about side effects; chief concerns of class 2 patients were disability progression and severe side-effect risk. The most important attributes for physicians (by class) were delaying disability and avoiding severe side-effect risks (class 1), avoiding severe side-effect risks and delaying disability progression (class 2), and avoiding side-effect risks and reducing relapses in the next 10 years (class 3).
CONCLUSION: Patients and physicians have diverse preferences for MS treatments, reflecting heterogeneity in the disease course and available therapies and the need for shared decision-making.
