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Natalizumab in spinal multiple sclerosis in a daily clinical setting
Chiara Zecca1, Mirjam R Heldner, Christian P Kamm
1Department of Neurology, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ospedale Regionale di Lugano , Via Tesserete 46, CH-6903 Lugano , Switzerland +41 91 811 6921 ; +41 91 811 6915 ; chiara.zecca@eoc.ch.
Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy
|April 5, 2015
Summary
Natalizumab (NTZ) effectively reduced relapses and new lesions in multiple sclerosis patients with and without spinal involvement. Its impact on slowing disability progression was more pronounced in patients with spinal disease.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Immunology
- Medical Research
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system.
- Natalizumab (NTZ) is an established treatment for relapsing forms of MS.
- Spinal cord involvement is a significant factor in MS progression and patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of natalizumab (NTZ) in multiple sclerosis patients.
- To compare the treatment outcomes in patients with and without spinal involvement.
- To assess the impact of NTZ on relapses, disability progression, and new lesions.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 136 multiple sclerosis patients (68 spinal, 68 non-spinal).
- Comparison of annualized relapse rate (ARR), disability progression, and new T2 lesions (N2TL) before and after NTZ treatment.
- Multivariate regression models were used for statistical analysis.
Main Results:
- NTZ significantly reduced ARR in both spinal (S-P) and non-spinal (NS-P) patient groups.
- Disability progression was significantly reduced by NTZ in S-P, but not in NS-P.
- The occurrence of new brain and spinal T2 lesions (N2TL) was similar between S-P and NS-P during NTZ treatment.
Conclusions:
- Natalizumab demonstrates high efficacy in reducing relapses and new lesions for both spinal and non-spinal MS patients.
- The beneficial effect of NTZ on disability progression is particularly significant in patients with spinal involvement.
- NTZ is an effective therapeutic option for a broad range of multiple sclerosis patients.
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