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Evidence-based medicine and clinical trials

From the Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Patricia K. Coyle, MS Comprehensive Care Center, SUNY at Stony Brook, HSC, T-12, NM020, Stony Brook, NY 11794 pcoyle{at}notes.cc.sunysb.edu

Optimal treatment of disease processes requires an objective assessment of clinical trial data in addition to careful patient monitoring. For multiple sclerosis (MS), the available treatments have been sufficiently evaluated in relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS), and physicians should treat MS patients to the standard of care recommended by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and/or the American Academy of Neurology. In some cases, recommendations must be made in the absence of definitive clinical trial data. Physicians should understand the limitations of recommendations of this type and still apply a combination of careful clinical evaluation, assessment of patient and disease factors, and an objective evaluation of whatever clinical trial data are available when treatment decisions are made.

Disclosure: Dr. Coyle receives research funding and is a consultant to Berlex, Inc., Pfizer, Inc., Serono, Inc., and Teva Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. Dr Coyle also has Speaker’s Bureau agreements with or has received honoraria from Berlex, Inc., Pfizer Inc., Serono, Inc., and Teva Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. Publication of this supplement was supported by an educational grant from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Neurology® supplements are not peer-reviewed. Information contained in Neurology® supplements represents the opinions of the authors and is not endorsed by nor does it reflect the views of the American Academy of Neurology, Editorial Board, Editor-in-Chief, or Associate Editors of Neurology®.