Clinical Trials Show Promise in Slowing Multiple Sclerosis Disease Progression

The Orlando Health Neuroscience Institute Research and Clinical Trials Program is currently involved in more than a dozen clinical trials, including milestone Phase III studies for treating secondary progressive and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). The institute is home to the Orlando Health MS Comprehensive Care Center, an extensive and high-volume MS center that frequently participates in national and international studies.

"Our collaborative breadth increases our ability to work with more novel infusions and treatments,” says Amparo (Amy) Gutierrez, MD, a triple-board certified neurologist with Orlando Health Neuroscience Institute. As a leading MS expert, Dr. Gutierrez has been the principal investigator for numerous research trials related to the disease and has held leadership roles with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Current Orlando Health trials for secondary progressive and relapsing-remitting MS explore novel dose administration in common, well-tolerated MS medication, as well as promising Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKI) and CD40 ligand compounds.

"These are potential treatments to slow down disease progression - not just the number of lesions and the inflammatory component, but also the more neurodegenerative aspects that can start as early as diagnosis in some patients,” says Dr. Gutierrez. "It's a new area of exploration in MS treatment, where most work has been on the peripheral inflammatory process. We are now looking at compounds that can penetrate the central nervous system’s very tough brain-blood barrier to address and slow the smoldering inflammation hidden there.

"It's exciting because these trials may offer new treatment opportunities for a specific cohort of patients whose needs have been somewhat unmet in the past,” she says.

Trials include:

• Randomized, double-blind Phase III study comparing the efficacy and safety of frexalimab to teriflunomide in adults with relapsing multiple sclerosis
• Randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group study, comparing the efficacy and safety of remibrutinib versus teriflunomide in participants with relapsing multiple sclerosis, followed by extended treatment with open-label remibrutinib
• Randomized, open label, multi-center, active-comparator study to assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of ofatumumab 20mg in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Orlando Health is dedicated to revolutionizing patient care with outcomes advanced by specialists skilled in the most leading-edge technologies and involved in sophisticated clinical research and training. Orlando Health Neuroscience Institute is a recognized leader in treating neurological disorders and advancing clinical care through the latest treatments, technology and research.