Key clinical point: Fingolimod is superior to glatiramer acetate in reducing the relapse rates for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), and 0.5 mg is the optimal dose.
Major finding: Fingolimod 0.5 mg vs. glatiramer acetate treatment showed a 40.7% relative reduction in annualized relapse rate ( P = .01). No statistically significant difference was seen with fingolimod 0.25 mg vs. glatiramer acetate (14.6% reduction in annualized relapse rate; P = .42).
Study details: Phase 3b ASSESS trial: Patients with RRMS were randomly assigned to fingolimod 0.5 mg (n = 352), fingolimod 0.25 mg (n = 370), or to glatiramer acetate 20 mg (n = 342) groups for 12 months.
Disclosures: The study was funded by Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland. The authors reported ties with various pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis.
Citation: Cree BAC et al. JAMA Neurol. 2020 Aug 24. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.2950