Aim: Evaluation of practicality and patient satisfaction of a glatiramer acetate (GA) prefilled pen in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Patients & methods: A cross-sectional, multicenter, observational study evaluating patients' experiences with the GA-pen 3 months after its first use by means of self-reporting questionnaires. Primary end point was the proportion of patients who were satisfied with the pen. Results: 80 patients participated in the study. The majority (83.7%) was satisfied with the pen and 95% rated its application as easy or very easy. Conclusion: Most patients were satisfied with the GA-pen and rated its application as easy or very easy. Among the 12 device features, starting the injection without an injection button was considered the most appreciated feature. Improvements in pen functionality and design might allow patients to overcome many difficulties with self-injection, even those leading to nonadherence. But, this hypothesis awaits further validation by real-world follow-up studies.
Keywords: RRMS; adherence; disease-modifying therapy; glatiramer acetate; injection pen; multiple sclerosis; patient-reported outcome; satisfaction.
When patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis are treated with an injectable multiple sclerosis (MS) medication like glatiramer acetate (GA), doctors and patients have to think about the different methods of administration such as syringe or pen. This study aimed to assess the practicality and patient satisfaction with a prefilled pen containing GA in individuals with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis. The study involved 80 patients and used self-reporting questionnaires to evaluate their experiences with the GA pen. The results showed that most of the patients were satisfied with the GA pen and found the application of the pen to be easy or very easy. Starting the injection without the need for an additional button press was particularly well received by patients. These findings suggest that improvements in the functionality and design of the pen may help patients overcome challenges associated with self-injection.