ECTRIMS 2021 | Assessing the interaction between blood NfL levels and BTK inhibitor efficacy in MS

Jens Kuhle, MD, PhD, University Hospital and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, shares the findings of a study investigating the prognostic value of blood neurofilament light (NfL) levels in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with evobrutinib. The Phase II trial (NCT02975349) randomized patients to receive evobrutinib at one of three dose levels (25mg daily, 75mg daily, or 75mg twice daily) for 48 weeks or placebo for 24 weeks followed by low-dose evobrutinib up to week 48. In this post-hoc analysis, 162 patients were grouped by high-dose (75mg daily, or 75mg twice daily) or low-dose (placebo or 25mg daily) and NfL levels at baseline were assessed. The data showed that higher doses of evobrutinib significantly reduced MRI activity, regardless of baseline NfL levels, as compared to the low dose group. Additionally, in patients with high NfL levels, relapse risk was significantly reduced in the high-dose group compared to the low-dose group. This interview took place at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) congress 2021.