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Clinical Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Ponesimod to Placebo in Subjects With Active Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Who Are Treated With Dimethyl Fumarate (Tecfidera®)

Phase 3
Terminated
Conditions
Multiple Sclerosis
Interventions
Other: Placebo
Registration Number
NCT02907177
Lead Sponsor
Actelion
Brief Summary

This clinical study compares the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of therapy with ponesimod vs placebo in subjects with active RMS who are treated with DMF (Tecfidera®).

Detailed Description

The study will assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of add-on therapy with ponesimod 20 mg vs placebo in adult participants with active relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) who are treated with dimethyl fumarate (DMF). Approximately 600 participants who have been receiving DMF for at least 6 months will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to ponesimod 20 mg or placebo. The study consists of the following study periods: Pre-randomization period; Treatment period; Post-treatment observation period. The study includes one ponesimod treatment arm at the maintenance dose of 20 mg o.d. corresponding to the optimal dose when used as monotherapy based on the Phase 2 dose-finding trial and its ongoing extension. The study includes a placebo comparator arm, but all patients will remain on DMF background therapy throughout the study. Moreover, participants who experience a confirmed relapse or an event of 24-week confirmed disability accumulation (DMF) while on study drug will have the option to switch to an alternative treatment. The treatment period has a variable duration from a minimum of 60 weeks (for the last subject randomized) to a maximum of 156 weeks for the first subjects randomized in the trial and includes a gradual up-titration of ponesimod from a 2 mg starting dose to a 20 mg maintenance dose over a period of 14 days. The total duration of the study will be approximately up to 167 weeks.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
TERMINATED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
136
Inclusion Criteria
  • Signed informed consent prior to initiation of any study-mandated procedure.
  • Women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test and use reliable methods of contraception
  • Presenting with a diagnosis of MS as defined by the revised (2010) McDonald Diagnostic Criteria for MS with relapsing course from onset (i.e., relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) with superimposed relapses).
  • Ongoing treatment with DMF for at least 6 months prior to screening
  • Active disease after at least 3 months of DMF treatment
  • Ambulatory and with an EDSS score between 0 and 6.0 (inclusive).
Exclusion Criteria
  • Lactating or pregnant women and women intending to become pregnant during the study.
  • Presenting with a diagnosis of MS with progressive course from onset (i.e., primary progressive MS or progressive relapsing MS).
  • Evidence of a relapse of MS with onset within 30 days prior to baseline EDSS assessment.
  • Any circumstances or conditions, which, in the opinion of the investigator, may affect full participation in the study or compliance with the protocol.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
PonesimodPonesimodPonesimod
PlaceboPlaceboPlacebo
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Annualized Confirmed Relapse Rate (ARR)Through study completion, an average of 68 weeks

Relapse: occurrence of acute episode of one or more new or worsened symptoms of Multiple sclerosis (MS), not associated with fever/infection and lasting 24 hours after stable 30 days period. Confirmed relapse: increase from baseline at least 0.5 point Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score or increase of one point in one, two or three Functional Systems (FS), excluding bowel/bladder and cerebral/mental FS. EDSS and FS scores are based on neurological examination for assessing its impairment in MS. Among eight FS, seven are ordinal clinical rating scales ranging from 0-5 or 6 with higher scale indicates overall functional impairment assessing Visual, Brain Stem, Pyramidal, Cerebellar, Sensory, Bowel/Bladder and Cerebral functions. Rating individual FS scores is used to rate EDSS in conjunction with observations and information concerning gait and use of assistance. EDSS is ordinal clinical rating scale ranging from 0 (normal neurological examination) to 10(death due to MS).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Percentage of Participants With 12-Week Confirmed Disability Accumulation (CDA) as Assessed by Kaplan Meier Estimate at Week 96Week 96

Percentage of participants with 12-week CDA as assessed by Kaplan Meier estimate at week 96 was defined as an increase of at least 1.5 in Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) for participants with a baseline EDSS score of 0.0 or an increase of at least 1.0 in EDSS for participants with a baseline EDSS score of 1.0 to 5.0, or an increase of at least 0.5 in EDSS for participants with a baseline EDSS score greater than or equal to (\>=) 5.5, which was confirmed after 12 weeks. Baseline EDSS was defined as the last EDSS score recorded prior to randomization. EDSS is an ordinal clinical rating scale ranging from 0 (normal neurological examination) to 10 (death due to MS).

Percentage of Participants Experiencing a Confirmed Relapse as Assessed by Kaplan Meier Estimate at Week 96Week 96

Percentage of participants experiencing a confirmed relapse as assessed by Kaplan Meier estimate at week 96 was reported. The time to first confirmed relapse (in days) is defined as \[Date of first confirmed relapse minus Date of randomization plus 1\] in days. Relapse: Occurrence of acute episode of one or more new symptoms or worsened symptoms of Multiple sclerosis (MS), not related with fever/infection and lasting 24 hours after 30 days stable period.

Number of Participants With Adverse Events (AEs) as a Measure of Safety and TolerabilityUp to 147 Weeks

An AE is any untoward medical event that occurs in a participants administered an investigational product, and it does not necessarily indicate only events with clear causal relationship with the relevant investigational product.

Trial Locations

Locations (119)

UAB Dpt of Neurology

🇺🇸

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Neuro-Pain Medical Center

🇺🇸

Fresno, California, United States

SC3 Research - Pasadena

🇺🇸

Pasadena, California, United States

Care Access Research - Santa Clarita

🇺🇸

Santa Clarita, California, United States

Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

🇺🇸

Torrance, California, United States

University of Colorado Hospital

🇺🇸

Aurora, Colorado, United States

Mountain View Clinical Research, Inc

🇺🇸

Denver, Colorado, United States

Associated Neurologists

🇺🇸

Danbury, Connecticut, United States

Bradenton Research Center

🇺🇸

Bradenton, Florida, United States

Neurology Associates - MS Center of Greater Orlando

🇺🇸

Maitland, Florida, United States

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UAB Dpt of Neurology
🇺🇸Birmingham, Alabama, United States

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