Assessment of Use and Safety of Edaravone for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System

Key Points Question What is the real-world experience with edaravone in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) within a national integrated health care system? Findings In this cohort study of data from 369 US veterans with documented or probable ALS, a significantly greater proportion of acute all-cause hospitalizations was associated with edaravone treatment and, among users receiving at least 6 months of treatment, an increased likelihood of ALS-related hospitalization was associated with edaravone treatment compared with riluzole-only treatment. Meaning While these findings should be interpreted with caution, in this evaluation, edaravone (mostly used with riluzole) was associated with more hospitalizations compared with riluzole-only therapy; more evidence is needed to evaluate edaravone treatment outcomes in real-world settings.