New post hoc data analyses have shown that Novartis’ siponimod may preserve mobility in patients with progression of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS).
The findings were presented at the 2019 Congress of The European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Stockholm.
Based on a survival analysis and a multistate model, new exploratory analyses of patients from the EXPAND study demonstrated that siponimod could delay median time to EDSS 7 (the point at which wheelchair-dependence is reached) by an average of 4.3 years in patients with SPMS. This could potentially result in the average time to when patients require a wheelchair being extended from 12 years to 16.3 years. In the analysis of a sub group of patients with a baseline EDSS of 6.5, 26.1% of those treated with placebo progressed to EDSS 7, compared with 19.8% of people treated with siponimod.
Further analyses of EXPAND data show siponimod significantly reduced the loss of cortical grey matter and thalamic volume at one and two years, demonstrating the potential value of siponimod as a treatment for SPMS.
There are more than 100,000 people living with MS in the UK, of which approximately 85% are considered to have RRMS at their point of diagnosis. Studies have shown that between 24% and 40% of people with RRMS progress to SPMS within 10 years from diagnosis. SPMS leads to progressive, irreversible disability, and once diagnosed, management options available to patients are limited.
“Our purpose at Novartis is to deliver treatments that can make a real difference to people’s lives.These latest data support siponimod’s place as an effective therapy for some of the estimated 38,000 people in the UK living with SPMS,” said Dr Mark Toms, Chief Scientific Officer, Novartis UK. “There are currently no licensed oral disease modifying SPMS therapies available, and so we are working very closely with the regulatory bodies with the aim of making siponimod available in the UK as quickly as possible.”
