MAY 27, 2021 – BY MARTA FIGUEIREDO PHD
Mayzent (siponimod) and Zeposia (ozanimod), the two sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators most recently approved in Canada for treating multiple sclerosis (MS), showed strong launches in the country, according to the latest Spherix Global Insights’ report.
However, due to several internal and external factors, sustained relevance of these therapies in the MS market “may be harder to achieve,” a Spherix press release summarizing the report noted.
The report was part of Spherix’s RealTime Dynamix: Multiple Sclerosis (Canada) service, which collects data on market trends of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and future expectations through an online survey of 250 neurologists in Canada.
After the established success of Novartis’ first-generation S1P receptor modulator Gilenya (fingolimod) for the treatment of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) in Canada, two next-generation S1P receptor modulators — Mayzent, also by Novartis, and Zeposia, by Bristol Myers Squibb — were approved by Health Canada in the past year.
S1P receptor modulators work by “trapping” immune cells in lymph nodes (important immune structures), preventing these cells from entering the nervous system and causing damage.
Mayzent was approved in March 2020 as the first oral treatment for active secondary progressive MS (SPMS), based on data from the EXPAND study (NCT01665144), the largest Phase 3 clinical trial of SPMS patients to date and one that showed the therapy slowed MS progression.
In October 2020, oral Zeposia gained Canadian approval for the first-line treatment of RRMS. Due to its higher selectivity, the third SP1 receptor modulator is thought to have a better safety profile than Gilenya, and was shown to improve cognitive function, in addition to reducing relapse rates and brain lesions.
|
