OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to quantify patient preferences for different modes and frequency of administration of multiple sclerosis (MS) disease modifying therapies (DMTs).

METHODS: Adults with MS, aged between 21 and 60 years, willing to participate, and using any kind of smart devices completed an online survey. A self-explicated conjoint approach was adapted to elicit preferences and opinions of each individual. Patient preferences towards different frequency and modes of administration for all existing as well as upcoming MS DMTs were assessed. Preferences for each attribute were ranked by importance and part-worth utilities (i.e. preference score) for each attribute level of performance were generated, allowing for easy side-by-side comparison.

RESULTS: A total of 140 people with MS responded to the question pertaining to mode and frequency of administration in the survey (France: 30, Germany: 30, US: 50, UK: 30). The part-worth utility/preference score was highest for oral administration (0.4754) in comparison to other methods, such as intravenous [IV] (0.1908) or subcutaneous (SC) injections (0.1856), p<0.001. In terms of frequency of administration for oral drugs, once daily (0.475) was preferred over twice daily (0.262), p<0.001. No significant difference was observed between different frequencies for IV administration,with utilities ranging between 0.147 (IV every month) to 0.191 (IV every 6 months). For SC administration, an injection every 4 weeks (0.186) was preferred over other higher frequencies (every week [0.149, 2-3 times a week [0.117] and daily [0.085]), p<0.01.

CONCLUSIONS: People with MS strongly prefer oral medication to IV or SC injections, while, there was equal preference for IV and SC injections. Patients generally preferred medications with lesser frequency for both oral medication and SC injections, while, frequency of IV injections did not have an impact on preferences.