RT Journal Article T1 Adherence to interferon β-1b treatment in patients with multiple sclerosis in Spain A1 Fernández, Oscar A1 Agüera, Eduardo A1 Izquierdo, Guillermo A1 Millán-Pascual, Jorge A1 Ramió I Torrentà, Lluis A1 Oliva, Pedro A1 Argente, Joaquin A1 Berdei, Yasmina A1 Soler, Jose Maria A1 Carmona, Olga A1 Errea, Jose Maria A1 Farrés, Jordi K1 Interferon beta-1b K1 Humanos K1 Mediana Edad K1 Esclerosis Múltiple K1 Cooperación del Paciente K1 España AB BACKGROUNDAdherence to interferon β-1b (INFβ-1b) therapy is essential to maximize the beneficial effects of treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS). For that reason, the main objectives of this study are to assess adherence to INFβ-1b in patients suffering from MS in Spain, and to identify the factors responsible for adherence in routine clinical practice.METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGSThis was an observational, retrospective, cross-sectional study including 120 Spanish patients with MS under INFβ-1b treatment. Therapeutic adherence was assessed with Morisky-Green test and with the percentage of doses received. The proportion of adherent patients assessed by Morisky-Green test was 68.3%, being indicative of poor adherence. Nevertheless, the percentage of doses received, which was based on the number of injected medication, was 94.3%. The main reason for missing INFβ-1b injections was forgetting some of the administrations (64%). Therefore, interventions that diminish forgetfulness might have a positive effect in the proportion of adherent patients and in the percentage of doses received. In addition, age and comorbidities had a significant effect in the number of doses injected per month, and should be considered in the management of adherence in MS patients.CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCEAmong all the available methods for assessing adherence, the overall consumption of the intended dose has to be considered when addressing adherence. PB Public Library of Science YR 2012 FD 2012-05-16 LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/843 UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/843 LA en NO Fernández O, Agüera E, Izquierdo G, Millán-Pascual J, Ramió I Torrentà Ll, Oliva P, et al. Adherence to interferon β-1b treatment in patients with multiple sclerosis in Spain. PLoS ONE. 2012; 7(5):e35600 NO Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; DS RISalud RD Apr 8, 2025