Many of the treatments used to manage MS, including one of the earlier licensed treatments for secondary progressive MS treat neuroinflammation which is typically associated with the earlier stage of MS rather than treating MS progression where relapses are not a feature. Traditionally, clinical trials in MS have focused on establishing the effectiveness of a single medication. These factors have contributed to few medications being licensed to treat secondary progressive MS.
A new trial in the UK is aiming to accelerate the speed at which medications could be tested to establish their effectiveness as secondary progressive MS treatments.
The Octopus Trial is the first multi-arm, multi-stage (MAMS) trial in MS. It is currently simultaneously trialling two treatments which are already used in other conditions against a single control group. The control group will be given a placebo (dummy) drug. The name ‘Octopus’ stands for Optimal Clinical Trials Platform for Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Additional treatments can be added to this multiarm trial which will help to accelerate the discovery of potential treatments. Octopus Trial.
New treatments are assessed for their ability to slow down progression in the first stage of the trial. MRI techniques are used as part of this assessment. Treatments with promising assessment outcomes then move on to the second stage of the trial. This stage involves additional participants, runs for several years and monitors disability progression.
The drugs currently being tested in the trial are metformin, which is used to treat diabetes and alpha lipoic acid, which is used to treat neuropathy. This approach, both in trialling the effectiveness of existing medications and doing so with a multiarm approach allows for research to progress at an accelerated rate and potentially identify effective and safe treatment options that can be used to manage secondary progressive MS. This revolutionary trial is led by Professors Jeremy Chataway and Max Parmar at University College London.
To find out more about this new approach visit their website: https://ms-octopus.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk