New MS Drugs Will Give Patients More Options

By John Gever, Senior Editor, MedPage Today

NEW ORLEANS — Investigational multiple sclerosis drugs moving through the trial pipeline offer the prospect of treatments more tailored to patient preferences, a prominent researcher said in an exclusive MedPage Today InFocus video interview.

Alemtuzumab (Lemtrada), a low-dose form of an existing cancer drug, may be best suited for patients looking for strong efficacy and are willing to accept some risk for adverse effects, said Alasdair Coles, PhD, of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England, who was an investigator on two phase III trials reported here.

The oral drug dimethyl fumarate (BG-12), on the other hand, will probably be more acceptable to patients who are most concerned about safety, Coles told Senior Editor John Gever.