Best Practices for Network Meta-Analysis Methodology: Comparative Effectiveness of Interferon-Beta Therapies In Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.

• Multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic, recurrent infl ammatory disease, is characterized by infl ammatory attacks on central nervous system myelin. Patients with MS experience symptoms such as blurred vision, walking and coordination problems, bladder or bowel dysfunction, numbness, and cognitive impairment.1 • Approximately 85% of patients with MS have relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS), which is characterized by defi ned attacks or relapses that result in worsening of neurological function, with partial to complete recovery between attacks.2 • Treatment with disease-modifying drugs (DMDs), including interferon beta (IFN ) therapies, can reduce relapse rates and delay disability progression and is associated with improved clinical outcomes.3–5 • Numerous network meta-analyses (NMAs) have evaluated DMDs in RRMS; however, analyses vary in their inclusion criteria, methodology, and types of statistical syntheses.6–8 • A consensus array of inclusion and exclusion criteria, endpoints, and statistical models may identify potential best practices in synthesizing clinical evidence to guide clinical decisions in RRMS.