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An experimental drug for multiple sclerosis (MS) may repair damaged myelin, findings from a study have shown. The research results will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 67th Annual Meeting.
The Phase 2 study enrolled 82 patients who experienced their first incident of acute optic neuritis. All patients were given high-dose steroids and then randomized to receive either the experimental antibody, anti-LINGO-1, or a placebo once every four weeks (total six doses). Patients were assessed every four weeks for six months with a final visit at eight months. Researchers compared the recovery of optic nerve latency in the damaged eye at six and eight months to the unaffected eye at the start of the study.
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Using the visual evoked potential (VEP) test, patients treated with the experimental drug and those who did not miss more than one dose had significantly improved conduction vs. patients who received placebo. By six months, patients who were treated with anti-LINGO-1, improved an average of 7.5ms (34%) vs. placebo. This effect was sustained through 8 months with an average improvement of 9.13ms (41%) vs. placebo. Also, the amount of patients whose VEP latency improved to normal or nearly normal increased for those treated with the study drug vs. placebo (53% vs. 26%).
A substudy that utilized the multifocal VEP method showed similar treatment effects. Another study of anti-LINGO-1 in patients with MS is ongoing.
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