Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Using a Mobile Device Application by Persons with Multiple Sclerosis: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction Patient reporting adds value to pharmacovigilance. Encouraging it to be done through a mobile device application (App) is a method that should be evaluated. Objective This study aimed to determine whether the use of an App, compared to traditional use through e-mail, telephone, or the national website, increased suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting by persons with multiple sclerosis receiving a first-line disease-modifying drug. Methods An open multi-centric, cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted (VigipSEP study). Clusters were centers allocated (1:1) to the use of the My eReport -France (R) App (experimental arm), and traditional reporting (control arm). Persons with multiple sclerosis initiating or switching to a first-line disease-modifying drug between April 2017 and April 2019 were included. The primary outcome was the mean number of ADR reports per patient for the center- level analysis, and the number of ADR reports per patient for the individual-level analysis using the hierarchical Poisson regression model. Results Twenty-four centers (12 per arm: six public neurologists from the multiple sclerosis academic expert centers, three public neurologists from general hospitals, and three private practice neurologists) were randomized, including 159 patients. The mean number of ADR reports per patient was significantly higher in centers that used the App: 0.47 vs 0.03 in control centers (p = 0.002). At an individual-level analysis, the experimental arm was significantly associated with a relative risk of ADR reports at 18.6 (95% confidence interval 4.1-84.2; p < 0.001), compared to the control arm, adjusted for sex and type of disease-modifying drug. Conclusions The use of a mobile App increased the ADR reporting by persons with multiple sclerosis receiving a first-line disease-modifying drug.

Automated summary

This study found that the use of a mobile application significantly increased the reporting of adverse drug reactions by patients in the centers using the application. This suggests that mobile applications can effectively encourage patients to report actively.