3 ECTRIMS Global Meeting Highlights

Daclizumab.  DECIDE Trial of 1841 patients showed that daclizumab antibody therapy given under the skin every 4 weeks lower relapses by 45% as compared to Avonex.  Contrast-enhancing lesions were 65% lower on daclizumab than Avonex.  Daclizumab benefit also noted on disability prevention (6 month confirmed disability) compared to Avonex .  Daclizumab side effects include 37% skin reactions, 6% high liver blood tests (>5 times upper limit of normal), and 2% serious infections.

Oral vs. IV steroids.  Oral vs. IV 1000 mg per day methylprednisolone for 3 days was compared in a French study.  Double-dummy design: every one received a daily infusion and 10 capsules (but one was placebo).   Seventy-eight percent of patients in either group responded to steroids with improvement at Day 28 after treatment onset.  6 month recovery and gastrointenstinal side effects were similar between the two groups.

Gut Microbiome.  People with MS have an increase in a type of Archea, a single-cell organism, in the gut.  This organism, Methanobrevabacter, could potentially play a role influencing the immune system in multiple sclerosis.   Some gut bacteria increase in numbers with certain MS treatments in early studies.