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Drug reduces vision loss associated with relapsing multiple sclerosis, study finds
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Natalizumab, a drug that slows disability and reduces relapse rates in patients with multiple sclerosis, may also reduce vision loss associated with the relapsing form of the disease, according to a study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Laura J. Balcer, MD, MSCE, and colleagues analyzed data from two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trials involving 2,138 patients with relapsing MS who were treated either with natalizumab (Tysabri, Biogen Idec) every 4 weeks for 2 years or placebo. The researchers found that patients treated with natalizumab had up to a 47% reduction in vision loss, defined as a loss of two or more lines of visual acuity, compared with placebo-treated patients, according to a press release from the university.
Specifically, natalizumab reduced the risk of clinically significant vision loss at the lowest contrast level — 1.25% — by 35% in one of the trials and by 28% in the second trial, according to the study.
"Not only does natalizumab prevent the worsening of vision loss in people with relapsing MS, but it is also associated with significant reductions in the likelihood of sustained vision loss due to inflammatory demyelination of nerve fibers," Dr. Balcer said in the release.
The study is published in the April 17 issue of Neurology.