(ANSA) – ROME, 04 JUL – Every year in our country 3,600 new diagnoses of multiple sclerosis are registered and the affected people are in total about 133 thousand, with a double prevalence in women. The relapsing-remitting form represents about 85% of all cases and is distinguished by the alternation of attacks or relapses, of unpredictable duration, characterized by the onset of sudden neurological symptoms and phases of complete or partial remission. For patients with this form of the disease, the positive role of ozanimod, an oral drug reimbursed in Italy since last September, is confirmed. At the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), in Vienna from 25 to 28 June, 5 abstracts were presented on data from the pivotal studies and the extension study (OLE-Daybreak) with ozanimod. The findings are presented today in an online press conference sponsored by Celgene, part of Bristol Myers Squibb. Among the studies, one in particular, evaluated the efficacy of ozanimod in predominantly naive patients, i.e. those who had never received prior therapies. . “In this exploratory analysis we analyzed 1,501 men and women: 71% were naive while the remaining 29% had already received therapy – underlines Professor Diego Centonze, Director of Neurology and Stroke Unit at IRCCS Neuromed, Professor of Neurology alll ‘University of Rome Tor Vergata, first author of the analysis -. The data recorded between the two groups were substantially comparable and both benefited from the treatment “.
The symptoms of multiple sclerosis can vary from person to person. The most recurrent involve sight, sensitivity, motor activities or can manifest themselves with the so-called “invisible symptoms” such as fatigue, depression, attention or memory disturbances, difficulty in maintaining concentration. Cognitive deficits are not always identified, but they are present in 40% -70% of patients from the initial stages and related to cerebral atrophy that occurs over time. “The data presented at EAN – concludes Professor Luigi Maria Grimaldi, Head of Neurology at the San Raffaele Giglio Hospital in Cefalù – showed the action of ozanimod in preserving or improving cognitive functions in most patients”. (HANDLE).
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