The infusion of 300 mg of natalizumab every 4 weeks is an effective therapy for reducing disease activity in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS).(1,2) Its use is limited, however, by the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), which increases after 2 years of therapy in JC virus (JCV) antibody-positive patients(3): the incidence of PML in these patients is between 1/85 and 1/454, with the higher frequency in those with previous use of immunosuppressant drugs.(4) Therefore, discontinuation of natalizumab therapy after the second year is recommended to minimize the risk of PML, particularly in JCV antibody-positive patients. The prevalence of JCV antibodies in patients with MS who start natalizumab therapy is high (around 54%(5)), making discontinuation of therapy a relevant issue for a large number of patients.

Sormani, M.P., De Stefano, N. (2014). Natalizumab discontinuation in the increasing complexity of multiple sclerosis therapy. NEUROLOGY, 82(17), 1484-1485 [10.1212/WNL.0000000000000369].

Natalizumab discontinuation in the increasing complexity of multiple sclerosis therapy

De Stefano N.
2014-01-01

Abstract

The infusion of 300 mg of natalizumab every 4 weeks is an effective therapy for reducing disease activity in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS).(1,2) Its use is limited, however, by the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), which increases after 2 years of therapy in JC virus (JCV) antibody-positive patients(3): the incidence of PML in these patients is between 1/85 and 1/454, with the higher frequency in those with previous use of immunosuppressant drugs.(4) Therefore, discontinuation of natalizumab therapy after the second year is recommended to minimize the risk of PML, particularly in JCV antibody-positive patients. The prevalence of JCV antibodies in patients with MS who start natalizumab therapy is high (around 54%(5)), making discontinuation of therapy a relevant issue for a large number of patients.
2014
Sormani, M.P., De Stefano, N. (2014). Natalizumab discontinuation in the increasing complexity of multiple sclerosis therapy. NEUROLOGY, 82(17), 1484-1485 [10.1212/WNL.0000000000000369].
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11365/1127652
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo