There were two important highlights at the ECTRIMS Congress 2024 in Copenhagen:
- The Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) Tolebrutinib was able to show in Phase 3 that it significantly slows the progression of disability in progressive MS.
- New diagnostic criteria make the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) easier.
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Prof. Mathias Mäurer discusses this in the AMSEL interview. The neurologist explains what the new concept of BTKi in MS therapy means, what results Tolebrutinib and also Fenebrutinib (Phase 2 data) have yielded, what this means for patients, and when the first BTKi for MS could be approved.
Another important piece of news is the adaptation of the Mc Donald criteria for the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. These have been simplified to the extent that in certain cases, an MRI with corresponding MS-typical lesions without clinical symptoms (so-called Radiologically Isolated Syndrome, or RIS) is sufficient to make an MS diagnosis and to treat. Previously, this often required additional cerebrospinal fluid markers or the “temporal dissemination”, i.e., two MRIs at different times.
The simplified diagnostic criteria mean not only that patients, if they wish, can start MS treatment earlier. Above all, the simplified diagnosis also means that people no longer have to live with a suspected diagnosis for a long time, which actually represents a psychological relief for many.
Source: AMSEL video, 25.09.2024.
