MS at the Limits 2022 | How will Octopus affect the treatment of progressive MS?

Jeremy Chataway, MA, PhD, FRCP, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK, discusses the potential impact of the upcoming Octopus multi-arm, multi-stage (MAMS) trial on the treatment landscape of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). He states that a combined approach to progressive MS treatment is the ultimate goal in order to address the various aspects of the disease; for example, having an effect on the immune activity, protecting neuronal cells, and promoting repair and remyelination. Prof. Chataway explains how the treatment of relapsing-remitting MS has been transformed in recent years, with 17 different medications currently available to help reduce the attack rate and target inflammatory activity. This success has spurred a greater focus on tackling progressive disease, with a plethora of trials aiming to stop, slow, or even reverse disability accumulation. Therefore, the Octopus trial design is aimed at speeding up the process of medication testing, with the MAMS design allowing for higher throughput and efficiency. Treatments that appear effective from early data will progress through the trial without the need to set up a new study, while those that do not show promise can be dropped, enabling new treatments to be added to the trial as they emerge. He explains that this trial has exciting prospects as they are working in partnership with the UK MS society as part of their “Stop MS” campaign. This interview took place during the 2022 Multiple Sclerosis at the Limits Conference in London, UK.

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