A new study granted hope to those who suffer from an advanced stage of multiple sclerosis, as its results showed that the drug “Tolebrutinib” may delay the development of disability in patients with the disease.
The study was conducted by researchers at Cleveland Clinic in the United States of America, and was shown at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurological Medicine 2025 in San Diego, which was held between 5 and 9 April, and was published on April 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine. It was written by the “Eurekalert” website.
This drug succeeded in delaying the development of disability in patients with an advanced stage of multiple sclerosis by 31%, and this stage is known as the Non-linksing Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, a condition characterized by a gradual nervous deterioration that affects multiple sclerosis in the stages Late of the disease.
The importance of these results comes from being the first time that an effective medicine has appeared in slowing the progress of the disease.
Tolibrotinip under test
The study lasted from October 2020 to January 2023, and included about 1131 patients from 31 countries, and a group of patients received “Tolibrotinip”, while another group received a fake treatment, and the results of the study showed that the rate of disability development after six months reached 22.6% between the recipient of the property compared to 30.7% in the fictitious drug group.
The researchers also observed an improvement in some secondary measures, including a decrease in the effects of multiple sclerosis that appear in magnetic resonance tests, and improved in some disability measures such as walking, inflammation and tissue damage tests.
Targeting chronic inflammation
“These results are a new hope for patients who have suffered for years from the lack of effective treatment options, as the drug especially targets chronic inflammation in the central nervous system, which is one of the main causes of gradual deterioration in these cases.”
Despite encouraging results, the study recorded some side effects of this drug that calls for attention, as cases of high liver enzymes appeared in some patients, especially during the first three months of treatment, and one of the cases died due to hepatic failure; This indicates the need for accurate follow -up during this period, and the need to stop treatment immediately when these symptoms appear.
The drug is currently undergoing a review by the American Food and Drug Administration, and in the event of approval, it may become the first approved treatment for this group of multiple sclerosis patients, yet the researchers stress the importance of adopting accurate protocols to monitor liver function to ensure patient safety while using it.