MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND FUMERATE

In patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, treatment with oral fumarate (BG00012) 240 mg three times daily reduced by 69% the mean total number of new gadolinium enhancing lesions from week 12 to 24 compared with placebo (1.4 vs 4.5, p<0.0001). It also reduced significantly the number of new or enlarging T2-hyperintense and new T1-hypointense lesions. These are the findings of a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase IIb study. Abdominal pain, flushing and hot flushes were more common in patients given fumarate than those given placebo while headache, fatigue and feeling hot were dose-related adverse events.

Lancet 2008;372:1463–72.

MORE ON MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS—ALEMTUZUMAB

Treatment with alemtuzumab was suspended after immune thrombocytopenic purpura developed in three patients, one of whom died, in a phase 2, randomised, blinded trial involving patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The trial, which compared alemtuzumab with interferon beta-1a, found that the mean …