Multiple sclerosis is a disabling and unpredictable disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheath that covers the axons of neurons. Damage to myelin disrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body and this can lead to the development of disability over time. One of the strategies with which we try to counteract the inflammation and degeneration that characterize the disease is to confine the lymphocytes, cells of the “crazy” immune system, in the lymphoid tissues so that they do not reach the central nervous system in large numbers. Strategy that seems to bear the hoped-for results. This is demonstrated by the data presented at the 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) on ozanimod, one of the drugs that manages to reduce the number of lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. In particular, the extension to five years of the DAYBREAK study showed that treatment with ozanimod reduces the chances of relapse and slows the progression of disability. In addition, although used for a long time, ozanimod has confirmed its safety profile.
“Early and effective intervention can have a significant impact on physical and cognitive outcomes over time, and low relapse rates are important indicators of patient outcomes,” says Bruce Cree, MD, Ph.D., MAS, researcher. who led the study and Professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Weill Institute for Neurosciences and Director of Clinical Research at UCSF MS Center. “The data from the DAYBREAK study provide us with a clear view of the long-term efficacy and safety profile of ozanimod and confirm its potential when used in the early stages of treatment for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.”
In May 2020, the European Commission approved ozanimod for the treatment of adult patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis with active disease confirmed by clinical or imaging features. Relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, including clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease, are characterized by well-defined attacks of worsening neurological function. These attacks – often called relapses, exacerbations, or exacerbations – are followed by periods of partial or complete recovery. During these periods, often called remissions, symptoms improve partially or completely without apparent disease progression. Because the relapses of multiple sclerosis are unpredictable, patients often feel frustrated, stressed, or frightened as they occur. Relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis are the most common at the time of diagnosis. About 85% of patients have an initial diagnosis of relapsing multiple sclerosis, compared with 10-15% with primary progressive forms of the disease.
“Our presentations at ECTRIMS 2021 support the growing body of evidence highlighting the long-term efficacy and safety of ozanimod in the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis and demonstrate our commitment to delivering important innovations that help preserve the body and mind of multiple sclerosis patients, ”says Jonathan Sadeh, MD, MSc., head of Immunology and Fibrosis Development, Bristol Myers Squibb. “We are committed to improving knowledge of this unpredictable and disabling disease with the aim of transforming medicine through science”.
.