Results of Expert Council meeting on modern principles of treatment optimization in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis using anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody

Abstract

The article presents the results of the discussion of the use of anti-B-cell therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS). These cells play a significant role in immunoregulation in MS, not only by producing antibodies to myelin antigens after transformation into plasma cells, but also by presenting the antigen to T cells, producing activation cytokines, and forming laminar follicles. The article provides an expert consensus statement on different drugs of this class in the MS treatment. In addition, the possibilities of determining the disease prognosis for the initially correct treatment choice are highlighted. Undoubtedly, there is a need for confirmation of the MS diagnosis, possible stratification of patients into different risk groups, and evaluation of the response to therapy. Potential additional research methods included evoked potentials and optical coherence tomography, baseline vitamin D3 level as a prognostic marker of the disease course, neurofilament levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid to confirm neuron damage. However, it takes much time to study, determine the methodology, reference values, and develop a single standard approach to identify and implement a biomarker, which should then be implemented in routine clinical practice.

Keywords

• expert council
• multiple sclerosis
• anti-b-cell therapy
• monoclonal antibody
• disease-modifying therapy