This clinical study compares the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of therapy with ponesimod vs placebo in subjects with active RMS who are treated with DMF (Tecfidera®).
The study will assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of add-on therapy with ponesimod 20 mg vs placebo in adult participants with active relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) who are treated with dimethyl fumarate (DMF). Approximately 600 participants who have been receiving DMF for at least 6 months will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to ponesimod 20 mg or placebo. The study consists of the following study periods: Pre-randomization period; Treatment period; Post-treatment observation period. The study includes one ponesimod treatment arm at the maintenance dose of 20 mg o.d. corresponding to the optimal dose when used as monotherapy based on the Phase 2 dose-finding trial and its ongoing extension. The study includes a placebo comparator arm, but all patients will remain on DMF background therapy throughout the study. Moreover, participants who experience a confirmed relapse or an event of 24-week confirmed disability accumulation (DMF) while on study drug will have the option to switch to an alternative treatment. The treatment period has a variable duration from a minimum of 60 weeks (for the last subject randomized) to a maximum of 156 weeks for the first subjects randomized in the trial and includes a gradual up-titration of ponesimod from a 2 mg starting dose to a 20 mg maintenance dose over a period of 14 days. The total duration of the study will be approximately up to 167 weeks.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
136
One tablet of ponesimod 20 mg administered orally once daily in the morning from Day 15 to EOT. To reduce the first-dose effect of ponesimod, an uptitration scheme will be implemented from Day 1 to Day 14 (with dose strength increasing from 2 mg to 20 mg).
One tablet of matching placebo administered orally once daily in the morning
Annualized Confirmed Relapse Rate (ARR)
Relapse: occurrence of acute episode of one or more new or worsened symptoms of Multiple sclerosis (MS), not associated with fever/infection and lasting 24 hours after stable 30 days period. Confirmed relapse: increase from baseline at least 0.5 point Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score or increase of one point in one, two or three Functional Systems (FS), excluding bowel/bladder and cerebral/mental FS. EDSS and FS scores are based on neurological examination for assessing its impairment in MS. Among eight FS, seven are ordinal clinical rating scales ranging from 0-5 or 6 with higher scale indicates overall functional impairment assessing Visual, Brain Stem, Pyramidal, Cerebellar, Sensory, Bowel/Bladder and Cerebral functions. Rating individual FS scores is used to rate EDSS in conjunction with observations and information concerning gait and use of assistance. EDSS is ordinal clinical rating scale ranging from 0 (normal neurological examination) to 10(death due to MS).
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 68 weeks
Percentage of Participants With 12-Week Confirmed Disability Accumulation (CDA) as Assessed by Kaplan Meier Estimate at Week 96
Percentage of participants with 12-week CDA as assessed by Kaplan Meier estimate at week 96 was defined as an increase of at least 1.5 in Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) for participants with a baseline EDSS score of 0.0 or an increase of at least 1.0 in EDSS for participants with a baseline EDSS score of 1.0 to 5.0, or an increase of at least 0.5 in EDSS for participants with a baseline EDSS score greater than or equal to (\>=) 5.5, which was confirmed after 12 weeks. Baseline EDSS was defined as the last EDSS score recorded prior to randomization. EDSS is an ordinal clinical rating scale ranging from 0 (normal neurological examination) to 10 (death due to MS).
Time frame: Week 96
Percentage of Participants Experiencing a Confirmed Relapse as Assessed by Kaplan Meier Estimate at Week 96
Percentage of participants experiencing a confirmed relapse as assessed by Kaplan Meier estimate at week 96 was reported. The time to first confirmed relapse (in days) is defined as \[Date of first confirmed relapse minus Date of randomization plus 1\] in days. Relapse: Occurrence of acute episode of one or more new symptoms or worsened symptoms of Multiple sclerosis (MS), not related with fever/infection and lasting 24 hours after 30 days stable period.
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UAB Dpt of Neurology
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Neuro-Pain Medical Center
Fresno, California, United States
SC3 Research - Pasadena
Pasadena, California, United States
Care Access Research - Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita, California, United States
Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Torrance, California, United States
University of Colorado Hospital
Aurora, Colorado, United States
Mountain View Clinical Research, Inc
Denver, Colorado, United States
Associated Neurologists
Danbury, Connecticut, United States
Bradenton Research Center
Bradenton, Florida, United States
Neurology Associates - MS Center of Greater Orlando
Maitland, Florida, United States
...and 109 more locations
Time frame: Week 96
Number of Participants With Adverse Events (AEs) as a Measure of Safety and Tolerability
An AE is any untoward medical event that occurs in a participants administered an investigational product, and it does not necessarily indicate only events with clear causal relationship with the relevant investigational product.
Time frame: Up to 147 Weeks