Effectiveness of a digital health application (levidex) on quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis: A pragmatic, randomized controlled trial (LAMONT)

BackgroundPeople with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) often experience impaired quality of life (QoL) despite receiving standard care. Digital therapeutics (DTx) may offer support, but prior trials yielded mixed results, possibly due to active controls and high baseline QoL. We therefore evaluated a DTx (levidex) as an adjunct to treatment as usual (TAU) in pwMS with impaired QoL. MethodsIn this pragmatic, online randomised controlled trial (LAMONT; NCT06090305), n = 470 pwMS with a score [≥]2 on the Hamburg Quality of Life Questionnaire in Multiple Sclerosis (HAQUAMS) were randomised to levidex + TAU or TAU alone. The primary endpoint was HAQUAMS total score at 6 months, analysed by intention-to-treat ANCOVA. ResultsCompared with TAU, levidex + TAU improved MS-specific QoL at 6 months (baseline-adjusted mean difference -0.10; 95% CI -0.18 to -0.03; p = 0.008; Cohens d = 0.26). Clinically relevant HAQUAMS improvement ([≥]0.22) occurred more often with levidex (39.5% vs 27.8%; number needed to treat = 9). Benefits also emerged for depressive symptoms and social/work functioning but not for anxiety. No serious adverse events occurred and user satisfaction was high. ConclusionsIn pwMS with impaired QoL, adding the scalable DTx levidex to TAU yields meaningful improvements in QoL and functioning.