Extended TRANSFORMS Trial Shows Benefit of Fingolimod Through Second Year

Patients with multiple sclerosis who continued to receive fingolimod, as well as those who switched from interferon, appeared to do well.

The phase III manufacturer-sponsored TRANSFORMS trial of daily oral fingolimod (0.5 or 1.25 mg) versus weekly intramuscular interferon beta-1a (30 µg) for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis showed that fingolimod was associated with fewer relapses and better magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) responses over 12 months (JW Neurol Mar 23 2010) At the end of the first year, patients who had been assigned to interferon were switched to fingolimod for one additional year; those assigned to fingolimod continued with the same treatment.

In 882 patients, annualized relapse rates during the second year were 0.22 for those who switched to 0.5-mg fingolimod and 0.11 for those who remained continuously on fingolimod. In both groups, numbers of new or e…

Reviewing Author

Robert T. Naismith, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardAlexion Pharmaceuticals; Amgen; Astoria; Biogen; Bristol Myers Squibb; Celltrion; Genentech; Hoffmann-La Roche; Genzyme; EMD Serono; Immpact-Bio; Immunic Therapeutics; Kyverna; Lundbeck; Novartis; Sandoz; TG Therapeutics

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; National Multiple Sclerosis Society; U.S. Department of Defense

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesConsortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (Treasurer)

Robert T. Naismith, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; National Multiple Sclerosis Society; U.S. Department of Defense

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesConsortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (Treasurer)