Drug Design, Development and Therapy (May 2021)
An Overview of the Efficacy and Safety of Ozanimod for the Treatment of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis
Abstract
Marzia Fronza,1 Lorena Lorefice,2 Jessica Frau,2 Eleonora Cocco1,2 1Department of Medical Science and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy; 2Multiple Sclerosis Center, Binaghi Hospital, ATS Sardegna, ASSL Cagliari, Cagliari, ItalyCorrespondence: Eleonora CoccoMultiple Sclerosis Center, Binaghi Hospital, ATS Sardegna, ASSL, Via is Guadazzonis 2, Cagliari, 09126, ItalyTel +39 070 609 2806Email [email protected]: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease of the central nervous system that can cause permanent disability in young adults. A large armamentarium is available for its management and is increasing over time. Ozanimod is an oral drug belonging to the sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor (S1PR) modulator family recently approved in different countries for MS with active disease. It selectively modulates S1PR1 and S1PR5 to prevent autoreactive lymphocytes from entering the central nervous system (CNS), where they can determine inflammation and neurodegeneration. Ozanimod was tested in one Phase II and two Phase III pivotal trials and was shown to be effective and well tolerated. Moreover, further investigations, including comparative trials with other S1P modulators and MS disease-modifying drugs, are needed to better define placement in MS treatment. Furthermore, ozanimod is currently under evaluation for inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, in international phase III studies. This article retraces the itinerary leading to the approval of ozanimod for MS treatment and its peculiarities and potentiality inside the S1PR modulator family.Keywords: S1PR modulators, disease modifying therapy, brain atrophy, safety
