Overview

Evaluation of Patient Retention of Fingolimod vs. Currently Approved Disease Modifying Therapy in Patients With Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.

Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2015-07-13
Target enrollment:
0
Participant gender:
All
Summary
A 12 month study where 852 patients with relapsing remitting MS will be randomized 1:1 to fingolimod or approved disease modifying therapy. Patients will be be treatment naive or have only been treated with one class of DMT (Interferon beta preparation or glatiramer acetate) . Patients will be able to switch to different treatment for safety, efficacy, tolerability or convenience during the study. Primary objective is to evaluate efficacy of fingolimod by assessing patients retention on treatment. Secondary objectives are to compare reasons for discontinuation, adverse events, cognitive impairment, medication satisfaction and change in brain volume measured by MRI.
Phase:
Phase 4
Accepts Healthy Volunteers?
No
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Treatments:
Fingolimod Hydrochloride
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. written informed consent must be obtained prior to any assessment being performed.

2. Male and female patients aged 18-65 years inclusive.

3. Patients diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS, defined by the 2010 revised McDonald
criteria (Pollman et al, 2011) (Appendix 1).

4. EDSS score of less than or equal to 6.

5. Patients naive to treatment or who have been treated with no more than one class of
DMT previously (interferon β preparation or glatiramer acetate), and who, per
investigator judgment, may benefit from a change of treatment class.

6. Patients who have been treated with DMF for less than 2 months total exposure and who
have a normal lymphocyte count at screening.

7. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative urine and serum β-human chorionic
gonadotropin (β-hCG) pregnancy test at screening and at baseline.

8. Before entry women must be:

- Post menopausal for at least 1 year, or

- Surgically sterile (have had a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy, tubal
ligation or otherwise incapable of pregnancy, or

- Practicing a highly effective method of birth control if sexually active,
including hormonal prescription oral contraceptives, contraceptive injections,
contraceptive patch, intrauterine device, double barrier method (e.g., condoms,
diaphragm or cervical cap with spermicidal foam, cream or gel), or male partner
sterilization consistent with local regulations regarding use of birth control
methods for patients participating in clinical trials, for the duration of their
participation in the study, or

- Not heterosexually active (patients who are not heterosexually active at
screening must agree to utilize a highly effective method of birth control if
they become heterosexually active during their participation in the study) 4.2
Exclusion criteria

1. Use of other investigational drugs within 30 days of screening.

2. History of hypersensitivity to any of the study drugs or to drugs of similar chemical
classes.

3. Prior exposure to fingolimod or any other S1P receptor modulating compounds.

4. History or presence of malignancy of any organ system (other than successfully treated
basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or stage 0 carcinoma of the cervix),
treated or untreated, within the past 5 years, regardless of whether there is evidence
of local recurrence or metastases.

5. Patients diagnosed with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) or Primary
Progressive MS (PPMS).

6. Patients with a history of chronic disease of the immune system other than MS or a
known immunodeficiency syndrome.

7. Patients who have been treated with:

• Natalizumab, mitoxantrone, cladribine, rituximab, alemtuzumab, ofatumumab,
ocrelizumab at any time before randomization

• Immunoglobulins, or pulse of corticosteroids with more than 6 months cumulative
exposure

• Immunosuppressive/chemotherapeutic medications (e.g., methotrexate, azathioprine,
cyclophosphamide, cellcept, Cytoxan, IVIG) with more than 6 months of cumulative
exposure and within 6 months prior to randomization

• Corticosteroids or adrenocorticotropic hormones in the past 30 days before
randomization. Patients that require corticosteroids for a relapse during the
screening period may be rescreened 30 days after the last dose.

8. History of treatment with both classes of approved first line DMT (interferon β
preparation and glatiramer acetate) or DMF exposure of 2 months or longer.

9. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (HbA1c > 7%).

10. Diagnosis of macular edema during the screening phase. Patients with a history of
macular edema will be allowed to enter the study provided that they do not have
macular edema at the screening visit.

11. Patients with active systemic bacterial, viral or fungal infections, or known to have
AIDS, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C infection or positive HIV antibody, Hepatitis B surface
antigen or Hepatitis C antibody tests.

12. Patients without history of chickenpox or without vaccination against varicella-zoster
virus at screening (patients may be vaccinated and rescreened one month or longer
after vaccination).

13. Patients who have received any live or live attenuated vaccines (including for
varicella-zoster or measles) within 1 month prior to baseline.

14. Patients with any medically unstable condition as assessed by the investigator.

15. Patients with a history of the following cardiovascular conditions:

• Cardiac arrest.

• myocardial infarction, unstable angina, stroke, transient ischemic attack,
decompensated heart failure requiring hospitalization, or Class III/IV heart failure
(Appendix 3).

• Congestive heart failure.

• Hypertension that is not controlled with prescribed medications. These patients may
be rescreened if blood pressure is stabilized with treatment.

• Cerebrovascular disease.

• History or presence of Mobitz Type II 2nd degree or 3rd degree AV block or sick
sinus syndrome, unless patient has a pacemaker.

• Patients at higher risk of symptomatic bradycardia or heart block because of a
coexisting medical condition or certain concomitant medications.

• Patients randomized to the fingolimod arm with prolonged QTc interval at screening
(corrected QT interval > 450 ms in males and > 470 ms in females); for patients
randomized to the fingolimod treatment arm before dosing (baseline) or during the
6-hour observation period; and those patients at additional risk for QT prolongation
(e.g., hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, congenital long-QT syndrome), or on a concomitant
therapy with QT prolonging drugs with a known risk of Torsades de pointes (e.g.,
citalopram, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, methadone, erythromycin).

- Patients receiving class Ia or Class III antiarrhythmic drugs (Appendix 6)

- Patients receiving concurrent therapy with drugs that slow the heart rate or
atrioventricular conduction (e.g., beta blockers, digoxin, or heart-rate slowing
calcium channel blockers such as diltiazem, verapamil or digoxin). The
possibility to switch to drugs that do not slow the heart rate or
atrioventricular conduction should be evaluated by the physician prescribing
these drugs before initiating fingolimod treatment.

- History of sick sinus syndrome or sinoatrial heart block.

- Resting heart rate of < 45 bpm or symptomatic bradycardia

- Recurrent syncope

- Severe untreated sleep apnea

16. Patients with severe pulmonary conditions (including severe respiratory disease,
pulmonary fibrosis, active tuberculosis, severe or poorly controlled asthma).

17. Patients with any of the following hepatic conditions:

• Chronic liver or biliary disease

- Total bilirubin greater than upper limit of normal (ULN) at screening unless in
the context of Gilbert's syndrome

- Conjugated bilirubin greater than the ULN at screening

- AST (SGOT), ALT (SGPT) greater than 3 times ULN at screening

- Alkaline phosphatase (AP) greater than 1.5 times the ULN at screening

18. Serum creatinine greater than 2.0 mg/dL (176.5 µmol/L) at screening.

19. Patients with the following neurological/psychiatric disorders:

- History of substance abuse (drug or alcohol) in the past five years as determined
by the investigator

- Progressive neurological disorder other than MS which may affect study
participation as determined by the investigator

- Any serious psychiatric condition that may interfere with the patient's ability
to cooperate and comply with the study procedures as determined by the
investigator

20. Women who are pregnant or nursing (lactating) or planning to become pregnant.

21. Any condition that in the opinion of the investigator, would compromise the well-being
of the patient or the conduct of the study, or prevent the patient from meeting or
performing study requirements.

22. Pre-planned surgery or medical procedure that would interfere with the conduct of the
study.

23. Employee of the sponsor, investigator or study center, with direct involvement in the
proposed study or other studies under the direction of that investigator or study
center, as well as family members of the employees or the investigator.