A Multicenter, Retrospective, Real-World Study of Treatment Outcomes Following on-label AbobotulinumtoxinA Injections for Adult Focal Spasticity in the United Kingdom.
Moheb Gaid, Caroline Brown, Mario Ippolito and 3 others
PMID 40442021WHAT IT FOUND
In UK routine care, on-label abobotulinumtoxinA doses averaged 540.8 units at first injection and intervals averaged 153.8 days.
Goals were recorded for 31 patients, and 71 of 82 goals were achieved, but no comparison group was used.
Key findings
01Mean total dose was 540.8 U at cycle 1, and the mean interval between cycles was 153.8 days.
02Goals were recorded for 31 patients at cycle 1, and 71 of 82 recorded goals were achieved, but patients also received physiotherapy, occupational therapy, anti-spasticity medication, pain medication or opioids, neurolytic agents, or surgery, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.
03In 121 safety patients, 7 had 10 adverse events, none considered related to abobotulinumtoxinA.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study had no comparison group, so it cannot show whether outcomes changed because of abobotulinumtoxinA. It was a retrospective chart review, so it relied on routine records that were sometimes incomplete. Approximately 50% of screened patients were not eligible, often because of off-label use, higher doses, or incomplete data. Only patients treated on-label were included, so the results may not represent wider UK practice. Outcome measures were recorded for only small subsets, especially the Tardieu Scale, active range of motion, and pain scores. Lower limb patients were under-represented because injections in hamstrings, adductors, and hip flexors were excluded. Data quality varied between centers, and patient goals were not methodologically recorded across all centers. No sensitivity analyses were conducted.
Declared interests
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The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 71 of 82 achieved goals as proof that abobotulinumtoxinA works. Goals were recorded only for a subset, many patients also had physiotherapy, occupational therapy, anti-spasticity medication, pain medication or opioids, neurolytic agents, or surgery, and the study had no comparison group.