Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 19, 2025
Experimental Demyelination and Remyelination of Murine Spinal Cord by Focal Injection of Lysolecithin
Published on: March 26, 2015
Lymphocyte reconstitution after DMF discontinuation in clinical trial and real-world patients with MS
Andrew Chan1, John Rose1, Enrique Alvarez1
1Department of Neurology (AC), Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland; Division of Neuroimmunology and Neurovirology (JR), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Brain Institute (JR), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Department of Neurology (JR), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of Colorado (EA), Aurora, CO; Department of Neurology and Center for Neuroinflammation and Experimental Therapeutics (AB-O), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (AB-O), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Central Clinical School (HB), Monash University, VIC, Australia; Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research (RJF), Cleveland Clinic, OH; Department of Neurology (RG), St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany; South Shore Neurologic Association PC (MG), Patchogue, NY; Eastern Health MS Service (JH), Box Hill, VIC, Australia; Department of Medicine and Melbourne Brain Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (TS), University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics (KW), University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Imaging Program, Clinical Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Dallas, TX; Department of Neuroscience (DF, PS), Neurology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria, Modena, Italy; Liverpool Hospital (SH), NSW, Australia; Department of Medicine (TK), CORe Unit, University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Neurology (TK), Royal Melbourne Hospital, VIC, Australia; School of Medicine and Public Health (JL-S), University Newcastle, NSW, Australia; Department of Neurology (JL-S), John Hunter Hospital, Hunter New England Health, Newcastle, NSW, Australia; Department of Neurology (C. McGuigan), St. Vincent's University Hospital and University College, Dublin, Ireland; Envision Pharma Group (KS), Fairfield, CT; and Biogen (CC, SF, FW, C. Miller), Cambridge, MA.
Background:
Delayed-release dimethyl fumarate (DMF) has demonstrated robust efficacy in treating patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Decreases in absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) are a well-known pharmacodynamic effect of DMF treatment, but lymphocyte recovery dynamics are not well characterized after discontinuation of DMF.
Methods:
Data sources included the Biogen DMF integrated clinical trial data set, a retrospective US chart abstraction study, and data from MSBase. We assessed rate and time course of lymphocyte reconstitution after DMF discontinuation.
Results:
The majority of patients who developed lymphopenia while treated with DMF and subsequently discontinued treatment experienced ALC reconstitution. The median time to reach ALC ≥0.8 × 109/L was 2-4 months after discontinuation for patients treated in real-world data sets; the median time to reach ALC ≥0.91 × 109/L was 2 months after discontinuation in DMF clinical trials. Severity of lymphopenia on treatment and decline in ALC within the first 6 months did not affect the ALC reconstitution rate after DMF discontinuation; rather, on-treatment lymphopenia duration influenced the reconstitution rate. In patients with severe, prolonged lymphopenia for ≥3 years, lymphocyte reconstitution to ≥0.91 × 109/L was 12-18 months vs 2-3 months in patients with lymphopenia persisting <6 months.
Conclusions:
The majority of patients who discontinued DMF due to lymphopenia experienced ALC reconstitution within 2-4 months following DMF discontinuation. This may help guide clinicians in managing patients who develop lymphopenia during DMF treatment. Prolonged lymphopenia on DMF treatment is associated with slow lymphocyte recovery after DMF discontinuation.
More Related Videos
09:38Determining Immune System Suppression versus CNS Protection for Pharmacological Interventions in Autoimmune Demyelination
Published on: September 12, 2016
08:17A Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell PBMC Engrafted Humanized Xenograft Model for Translational Immuno-oncology I-O Research
Published on: August 15, 2019