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Multiple sclerosis immunomodulatory therapies tested for effectiveness in COVID-19
Bożena Adamczyk1, Natalia Morawiec2, Monika Arendarczyk2
1Department of Neurology in Zabrze, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland. badamczyk@sum.edu.pl.
Introduction:
The global pandemic of COVID-19 began in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Research into effective therapies has been conducted worldwide. Currently, there is no antiviral treatment and many patients develop a severe course of the disease, including severe respiratory failure. Due to similar pathomechanisms of inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) and COVID-19, immunomodulatory drugs that are registered for the treatment of MS are under study in the SARS-CoV-2 infection in clinical trials.
Materials And Methods:
Using clinicaltrials.gov, we found information related to ongoing clinical studies on potential drugs for COVID-19 which are also used in MS therapy. The outcomes of several trials were published on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Results:
There were 18 clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness and safety of interferon-β, fingolimod, or leflunomide in COVID-19. Some trial outcomes available at pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov suggested an association of these drug treatments with improvements in signs and symptoms, and the disease course.
Conclusion:
The administration of immunomodulatory drugs in COVID-19 may result in potential beneficial effects probably associated with their anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. Further research is warranted to confirm the long-term effects of immunomodulatory therapies in patients with COVID-19.
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