Patient subgroup analyses of the treatment effect of subcutaneous interferon beta -1a on development of multiple sclerosis in the randomized controlled REFLEX study

The REFLEX study (NCT00404352) established that subcutaneous (sc) interferon (IFN) beta -1a reduced the risks of McDonald MS (2005 criteria) and clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) in patients with a first clinical demyelinating event suggestive of MS. The aim of this subgroup analysis was to assess the treatment effect of sc IFN beta -1a in patient subgroups defined by baseline disease and demographic characteristics (age, sex, use of steroids at the first event, classification of first event as mono- or multifocal, presence/absence of gadolinium-enhancing lesions, count of