Development of cladribine treatment in multiple sclerosis

Cladribine is a new type of drug with properties of selective lymphocyte suppression that appear to favorably alter the clinical course of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The history of the development of cladribine treatment in chronic progressive MS is discussed, and the application of cladribine treatment to progressive multiple sclerosis in a double-blind, placebo crossover study is reviewed. Cladribine selectively targets both resting and dividing lymphocytes and may be able to destroy the activated lymphocytes that induce CNS demyelination, thus producing stabilization or improvement in chronic MS. Although the role of cladribine has not yet been fully defined, additional studies are underway to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cladribine in both progressive MS and relapsing-remitting MS.