Proven Therapies Underutilized in State of Care for NMOSD: Bruce Cree, MD, PhD, MAS, FAAN

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“There is, I think, a misconception that the older treatments are in some way safer. That is not the case. The older treatments, if anything, are less safe.”

There are 3 therapies currently approved for the treatment of aquaporin-4-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4+ NMOSD), which include eculizumab (Soliris; Alexion), inebilizumab (Uplizna; Horizon Therapeutics), and satralizumab (Enspryng; Genentech). In June 2019, eculizumab, a complement inhibitor, was the first approved treatment for NMOSD. Following that, inebilizumab, an anti-CD19 agent, got the green light in June 2020, as well as satralizumab, an anti-interleukin-6 receptor, later that year.

Bruce Cree, MD, PhD, MAS, FAAN, an attendee at the 2023 Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum, February 23-25, in San Diego, presented on 2 post-hoc analyses from the N-MOmentum trial (NCT02200770) that evaluated one of the approved therapies, inebilizumab. He noted that inebilizumab and the other drugs are highly effective drugs for treating NMOSD, but are more costly and are being underutilized by providers. Although there are older, off-label treatments for the condition, Cree noted that they may not be the safest option for patients as newer treatments have been proven to be more effective.

At ACTRIMS, Cree, the clinical research director of the UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Center, sat down for an interview with NeurologyLive® to talk about his clinical perspective on the current assessment of the state of care for patients with NMOSD. Additionally, he shared how clinicians and researchers may improve with care in the field for patients going forward into the future.

Click here for more coverage of ACTRIMS 2023.