Mycophenolate mofetil in the treatment of multiple sclerosis: a preliminary report

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an affordable and tolerable drug reported to be beneficial in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

To determine efficacy of MMF as first line disease modifying drug (DMD) in 40 patients with MS seen in our demyelinating disease registry.

The annualized relapse rate (ARR) for 1 year prior to starting MMF therapy and 1 year post treatment was calculated. Pre- and post-treatment expanded disability status scores (EDSS), age at onset of treatment, disease duration, and type of MS were recorded. Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for comparison of ARRs and EDSS before and after treatment.

Forty patients included 27 females and 13 males. Mean duration of MMF therapy was 24 months (range 14-33 months). Pre-treatment mean ARR of 0.95 was significantly different from post treatment mean ARR of 0.11 (P=0.0001). Pre-treatment mean EDSS 3.80 (inter quartile range [IQR] 3.5-4.5) was significantly different from post-treatment mean EDSS 2.66 (IQR 1.5-3.0, P=0.0001). No adverse effects were reported that required stopping of medication. Five patients discontinued treatment 6-11 months after starting therapy, two of whom relapsed subsequently.

Our preliminary results support the use of MMF, a cheap and well-tolerated drug, as first line disease modifying drug in MS. Long-term results in a larger patient cohort is required for validating our preliminary conclusions.