Hit MS Hard and Fast, Suggests New Study

How quickly to start a disease-modifying therapy after an MS diagnosis is a question that I frequently see when browsing online. It goes hand in hand with which DMT is best to start with. There are many things to consider when making that decision.

Here’s a study that may help you weigh the benefits and risks hitting your MS hard and fast.

Any DMT is better than none

The study, recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reviews the records of 1,555 patients diagnosed with relapsing MS. It finds that people with relapsing MS who were initially treated with a glatiramer acetate (Copaxone, Glatopa) or an interferon beta (Avonex, Betaferon, Extavia, Rebif) had a lower risk (12 percent) of progressing to secondary progressive MS than people who received no treatment (27 percent). Those who received fingolimod (Gilenya) also had a lower risk (7 percent versus 32 percent), as did those treated witrh natalizumab (Tysabri) (19 percent versus 38 percent) and alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) (10 percent versus 25 percent).

The risk of moving from relapsing to secondary progressive MS was lower when the glatiramer acetate or interferon beta treatment was started quickly, within five years of disease onset. Additionally, treatment with newer DMTs appears to be more effective at slowing advance of the disease than with older treatments. “Among patients with relapsing-remitting MS, initial treatment with fingolimod, alemtuzumab, or natalizumab was associated with a lower risk of conversion to secondary progressive MS vs initial treatment with glatiramer acetate or interferon beta.”

Hit MS quickly and effectively

One of the study’s lead authors, Tomas Kalincik, head of the MS Service at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, says that the findings show how important it is to treat MS quickly and effectively. “People who converted from relapsing MS to secondary progressive MS experience gradual and mostly irreversible worsening of disability. Most of the therapies that we use to treat MS have no effect once people have converted to secondary progressive MS. This study shows us how important it is to treat relapsing MS early and pro-actively,” he says.

‘Wait and see’ isn’t the way to go

Consider all of this information when you and your neurologist are deciding how fast and hard to hit your MS, especially if you’ve just recently been diagnosed. Weigh the benefits versus the risks. But, IMHO you should hit your MS as fast and as hard as you can.

(Featured photo by harutmovsisyan via Pixabay)

(This is an edited version of one of my columns that appear on the Multiple Sclerosis News Today website)