MOVING: Modification of the visual outcome after optic neuritis with Gilenya®

Study Description:
Many MS patients suffer from inflammation of the optic nerve at the beginning or in the course of their disorder, which often leads to a permanent damage of the nerve fibre or nerve cells. Besides its anti-inflammatory effect, the newly approved MS-treatment Gilenya® might also have a neuroprotective component. In the MOVING study we wanted to investigate whether an early treatment with Gilenya® might lead to a measurable reduction of neural damage compared to a standard therapy with Interferon beta.

Study duration was 6 months. Patients with relapsing-remitting MS or CIS, who recently suffered from an optic nerve inflammation  participated. Participants were seen regularly in our study outpatient clinic. Study visits included magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and several optic examinations.

Principle Investigators: Dr. Olaf Hoffmann (WG Clinical Neuroimmunology, NCRC) in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Friedemann Paul (WG Clinical Neuroimmunology, NCRC, ECRC)

Registration: This study is registered in the database clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01647880).

Course of the study: 06/2013 - 04/2016

Publication:
Albert, C., J. Mikolajczak, A. Liekfeld, S. K. Piper, M. Scheel, H. G. Zimmermann, C. Nowak, J. Dorr, J. Bellmann-Strobl, C. D. Chien, A. U. Brandt, F. Paul, and O. Hoffmann. "Fingolimod after a First Unilateral Episode of Acute Optic Neuritis (Moving) - Preliminary Results from a Randomized, Rater-Blind, Active-Controlled, Phase 2 Trial." Bmc Neurology 20, no. 1 (Mar 3 2020). Link