Emerging multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapies

We focus on emerging therapies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) whose progress through late-phase clinical trials has furthered our understanding of MS pathophysiology.

A promising array of potential new therapies for MS is targeting a broadening range of pathophysiologic mechanisms. Essentially all emerging therapies in late-phase clinical trials continue to focus on peripheral immune mechanisms that predominate early in the illness. The success of some of these, with varying mechanisms of action, has contributed to an evolution in our conceptual framework of MS.

Several of the emerging therapies focusing on immune-mediated disease mechanisms seem to offer stronger efficacy than the currently approved immune modulators for MS, although with potential for serious adverse effects. These therapies have also broadened our understanding of MS pathophysiology by demonstrating that significant decreases in new disease activity can be achieved through targeting of distinct cell types and mechanisms.