Challenges and opportunities in designing clinical trials for neuromyelitis optica

Brian G Weinshenker¹, Gerard Barron¹, Jacinta M Behne¹+24

• ¹From the Department of Neurology (B.G.W.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; MedImmune Ltd. (G.B., A.F.), Riverside Building, Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge, UK; Guthy-Jackson Foundation (J.M.B., K.V.H.), San Diego, CA; Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology (J.L.B.), University of Colorado Denver, Aurora; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (P.S.C.), East Hanover, NJ; Department of Neurology (B.A.C.C.), University of California San Francisco; CIC (Clinical Investigation Center) INSERM and UMR 1119 (J.d.S.), INSERM, Federation de Medecine Translationelle de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg; Department of Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutics (K.F.), Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Department of Neurology (B.G.), University of Texas Southwestern; Chugai Pharma USA (S.H., A.T.M.), Berkeley Heights, NJ; PPD Inc. (W.H.), Wilmington, NC; Department of Neurology (O.K.), Wayne State University, Detroit, MI; Teva Pharmaceuticals (V.K.), Frazer, PA; Department of Neurology (V.K.), Heinrich-Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany; Department of Neurology (M.L.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; Department of Neurology (J.P.), Oxford University Hospital Trust, UK; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (T.J.S.), Kellogg Eye Center, and Division of Metabolism, Endocrine, and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor; Department of Health Science (M.P.S.), University of Genoa, Italy; David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (K.V.H.), Los Angeles, CA; GlaxoSmithKline (S.V.), Research Triangle Park, NC; Center of Neuroimmunology (P.V.), Institute of Biomedical Research August Pi Sunyer (IDIBAPS)-Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Villarroel, Spain; United States Food and Drug Administration (M.K.W.), Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, MD; Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (W.W.), Cheshire, CT; Department of Neurology (D.M.W.), Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ; Department of Medicine (M.R.Y.), Divisions of M