Ublixtumab’s Effect on Measures of MS Disability: Bruce Cree, MD, PhD, MAS, FAAN

Disclaimer: The American Academy of Neurology requested that all attendees remain masked during the Annual Meeting. This interviewee voluntarily removed their mask for this interview.

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

“When you talk to people who are living with MS, of course, they want to have good control over relapses. But the other key component in terms of [treatment] efficacy is disability. Demonstrating that a particular product has an effect on disability is extremely important.”

Ublitxumab, an investigational glycoengineered monoclonal antibody against CD20 delivered by intravenous infusion, has shown some success as a possible treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Assessed in a pair of phase 3 trials—ULTIMATE I (NCT03277261) and ULTIMATE II (NCT03277248)—new data suggest that the TG Therapeutics product resulted in clinically meaningful disability improvement.¹

The 450-mg infusion demonstrated 12-week confirmed disability improvement in 65 patients, of whom 95% reported sustained improvement through study end. Those with baseline Expanded Disability Status Scale scores of 2 or more at baseline treated with ublituximab reported 1.0-, 1.5-, and 2.0-point gains at 96 weeks in 12.6%. 6.2%, and 3.0% of patients. The (Aubagio; Sanofi) group reported those gains in 7.0%, 2.2%, and 1.1% of patients, respectively.

Those data were presented at the 2022 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, April 2-7, in Seattle, Washington, by Bruce Cree, MD, PhD, MAS, FAAN, professor of clinical neurology, University of California, San Francisco (USCF) Weill Institute for Neuroscience, and clinical research director, UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Center. Cree sat down with NeurologyLive^® at AAN 2022 to offer his thoughts on the findings and the importance of developing therapies for MS that not only control relapses, but improve quality of life for patients.

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REFERENCE
1. Cree BA, Fox E, Hartung HP, et al. Disability Improvements With Ublituximab in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS): Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), 9-Hole Peg Test (9-HPT), and Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW) Evaluations From the Phase 3 ULTIMATE I and II Studies. Presented at: AAN Annual Meeting; April 2-7, 2022; Seattle, WA, and virtual. Abstract 9063.