But a clinical trial provides useful methodology for future studies of rapidly progressive neurodegenerative diseases.
This article describes a longitudinal, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled, partially manufacturer-supported study of riluzole in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and multisystem atrophy (MSA). The authors strove to assess whether riluzole treatment prolonged survival in MSA and PSP patients.
Of 767 patients enrolled, 760 completed the 3-year trial (362 with PSP; 398 with MSA). The patients were randomized to receive either placebo or 50 to 200 mg per day of riluzole. The primary endpoint was death.
Of the 760 participants, 45% died during the study, with no differences in death rates between MSA and PSP patients. Survival rates did not differ between recipients of riluzole and placebo. The study participants were …