NHS England green-lights switch from natalizumab to fingolimod in MSers at high-risk of PML#MSBlog #MSResearch #ClinicSpeak
Interferon-beta, GA or steroids not good enough to prevent rebound activity #MSBlog #MSResearch #ClinicSpeak
"The
study below confirms what we already know; stopping natalizumab leads
to rebound in MS disease activity. Switching to a DMT on a lower-tier of
efficacy, i.e. interferon-beta or glatiramer acetate, or taking
steroids does not prevent this rebound. In comparison, a higher-efficacy
drug such as fingolimod appears to prevent this rebound provided it is started within 4 weeks after the last natalizumab infusion."
"Most
MSers stopping natalizumab are doing it because they are at high-risk
of developing PML. The major safety concern we have is so called
carry-over PML; i.e. PML that presents in the first few months after
starting fingolimod. I am aware of two cases of carry-over PML on
fingolimod. Carry-over PML is a problem in that we rely on the immune
response to clear you of PML; it takes about 6-8 weeks for fingolimod to
wash-out of your system and during this time PML can cause devastating
damage. Our practice, to prevent carry-over PML and rebound disease
activity, is to do a MRI and lumbar puncture shortly after the last
natalizumab infusion. If the spinal fluid analysis shows no JC virus DNA
and the MRI shows no evidence of asymptomatic PML we start fingolimod
within 4 weeks of the last natalizumab infusion. So far this practice
seems to be working; touch wood we have had no cases of carry-over
PML."
"In
clinic last week someone asked me about switching from natalizumab to
alemtuzumab? Alemtuzumab is an induction agent and hence you can't
reverse its action. If you developed carry-over PML after switching from
natalizumab to alemtuzumab the chances are you will die from the PML as
your immune system will not be able to respond quickly enough to clear
the virus. Post alemtuzumab it takes over 3 months for your immune
system to recover. For this reason I am telling my patients that it will
be much safer for them to switch to a maintenance agent, for example
fingolimod, for several months or years, before switching to alemtuzumab
post-natalizumab. The latter advice is not evidence-based and is
unlikely to become evidence-based in the future; this advice is based in
scientific principles on how the different DMTs affect your immune
system."
"For
UK MSers who read this blog we have finally been given the green-light
by NHS England to switch MSers at high-risk of PML on natalizumab to fingolimod, who have never been treated with interferon-beta or GA in the past.
Epub: Fox et al. MS disease activity in RESTORE: A randomized 24-week natalizumab treatment interruption study.Neurology. 2014 Mar.
OBJECTIVE: RESTORE was a randomized, partially placebo-controlled exploratory study evaluating multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity during a 24-week interruption of natalizumab.
CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that for MSers with MS taking natalizumab who are relapse-free for 1 year, stopping natalizumab increases the risk of MS relapse or MRI disease activity as compared with continuing natalizumab.
OBJECTIVE: RESTORE was a randomized, partially placebo-controlled exploratory study evaluating multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity during a 24-week interruption of natalizumab.
METHODS: Eligible
MSers were relapse-free through the prior year on natalizumab and had
no gadolinium-enhancing lesions on screening brain MRI. MSers were
randomized 1:1:2 to continue natalizumab, to switch to placebo, or to
receive alternative immunomodulatory therapy (other therapies: IM
interferon β-1a [IM IFN-β-1a], glatiramer acetate [GA], or
methylprednisolone [MP]). During the 24-week randomized treatment
period, MSers underwent clinical and MRI assessments every 4 weeks.
CONCLUSIONS: MRI and clinical disease activity recurred in some patients during natalizumab interruption, despite use of other therapies.
CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that for MSers with MS taking natalizumab who are relapse-free for 1 year, stopping natalizumab increases the risk of MS relapse or MRI disease activity as compared with continuing natalizumab.
http://multiple-sclerosis-research.blogspot.com/2014/04/clinic-speak-what-happens-when-you-stop.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FWvYVL+%28Multiple+Sclerosis+Research%29
