slow recruitment

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that at least one dose (0.5 mg followed by 0.25 mg) of fingolimod is superior to glatiramer acetate 20 mg SC in reducing the ARR up to 12 months in patients with relapsing-remitting MS

This was a multicenter, randomized, rater- and dose-blinded, study to compare the efficacy and safety of 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg of fingolimod with glatimer acetate 20 mg s.c. in patients with RRMS.

This study consisted of 3 periods:

• Screening Period: up to 45 days for all patients
• Treatment Period: 12 months of glatiramer acetate 20 mg, fingolimod 0.25 mg, or fingolimod 0.5 mg
• Follow-up occurred 3 months (12 weeks) after the last dose of study drug for all patients The informed consent form was signed prior to any study related activities at the screening visit. Randomization to either treatment group was preformed at visit 1 after a diligent check of applicable in- and exclusion criteria in a 1:1:1 ratio (changed to 5:3:2 after implementation of Amendment 2 in 2015).

Treatment groups:

• fingolimod 0.5 mg/day orally for up to 12 months
• fingolimod 0.25 mg/day orally for up to 12 months
• glatiramer acetate 20 mg/day subcutaneously for up to 12 months

Inclusion criteria:

• Written informed consent must be obtained before any assessment is performed
• Male and female patients 18 to 65 years of age, inclusive.
• Patients with RRMS, as defined by 2010 revised McDonald criteria.
• Patients must be neurologically stable with no onset of relapse within 30 days of randomization
• Patients with at least 1 documented relapse during the previous year or 2 documented relapses during the previous 2 years before randomization.
• Patients with an EDSS score of 0 to 6, inclusive, at Screening. A score of 6.0 indicates unilateral assistance (cane or crutch) required to walk at least 100 meters with or without resting.

Exclusion criteria:

• Patients with a history of malignancy of any organ system (other than cutaneous basal cell carcinoma) in the last 5 years that do not have confirmation of absence of a malignancy prior to randomization
• Patients with an active chronic disease (or stable but treated with immune therapy) of the immune system other than MS (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis) or with a known immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV-antibody positive, AIDS, hereditary immune deficiency, drug-induced immune deficiency).
• Patients who have been treated with:
• High-dose intravenous (IV) immunoglobulin (Ig) within 4 weeks before randomization
• Immunosuppressive/chemotherapeutic medications (e.g., azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate) within 6 months before randomization
• Natalizumab within 2 months before randomization
• Previous treatment with lymphocyte-depleting therapies (e.g., rituximab, alemtuzumab, ofatumumab, ocrelizumab, or cladribine) within 1 year before randomization Previous treatment with mitoxantrone within 6 months before randomization
• Use of teriflunomide within 3.5 months prior to randomization, except if active washout (with either cholestyramine or activated charcoal) was done. In that case, plasma levels are required to be measured and be below 0.02 mg/L before randomization.

No washout period is necessary for patients treated with dimethyl fumarate, interferon (IFN) beta, or glatiramer acetate.

Patients being treated with dimethyl fumarate, glatiramer acetate, or IFN beta at the Screening visit can continue drug intake up to the day before Day 1 of this study (i.e., there is no need for a washout period).

• Patients who have been treated with systemic corticosteroids or adrenocorticotropic hormones in the past 30 days prior to the screening magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedure.
• Patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (glycosylated hemoglobin >9%) or with diabetic neuropathy.
• Patients with a diagnosis of macular edema during Screening (patients with a history of macular edema will be allowed to enter the study provided that they do not have macular edema at Screening).
• Patients with severe active bacterial, viral, or fungal infections.
• Patients without acceptable evidence of immunity to varicella zoster virus (VZV) at randomization.
• Patients who have received any live or live-attenuated vaccines (including VZV, herpes simplex, or measles) within 1 month before randomization.
• Patients who have received total lymphoid irradiation or bone marrow transplantation.
• Patients with any unstable medical/psychiatric condition, as assessed by the primary treating physician at each site.
• Patients who in the last 6 months experienced any of the following cardiovascular conditions or findings in the screening electrocardiogram (ECG): myocardial infarction, unstable angina, stroke, transient ischemic attack or decompensated heart failure requiring hospitalization or Class III/IV heart failure.

Novartis is committed to sharing with qualified external researchers, access to patient-level data and supporting clinical documents from eligible studies. These requests are reviewed and approved by an independent review panel on the basis of scientific merit. All data provided is anonymized to respect the privacy of patients who have participated in the trial in line with applicable laws and regulations.

This trial data availability is according to the criteria and process described on www.clinicalstudydatarequest.com

Fingolimod patients were dose blind.

The terms and conditions of Novartis' agreements with its investigators may vary. However, Novartis does not prohibit any investigator from publishing. Any publications from a single-site are postponed until the publication of the pooled data (ie, data from all sites) in the clinical trial.