Existing therapies for multiple sclerosis offer proven efficacy and safety

Abstract

There are currently six disease-modifying drugs approved for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Their efficacy has been proven in multiple clinical trials. The four therapies licensed as first-line agents (three formulations of interferon-beta and one of glatiramer acetate) have well-established short-term and long-term safety profiles, with manageable adverse events. Results of recent trials suggest that current disease-modifying drugs may have better on-treatment disease suppression than was predicted by the results of the original pivotal studies. Although these therapies are all parenterally administered, a number of technological advances have improved various aspects of injection tolerability and enhanced acceptability, so that the impact of self-injection on the patient's life is minimized. Several promising oral disease-modifying drugs are now in phase III development. However, as these drugs are new to multiple sclerosis therapy, their short-term and long-term safety profiles are unknown. Although novel therapies for multiple sclerosis, particularly orally administered drugs, are eagerly awaited, they will not immediately replace the tried and trusted options.