Positive analysis of oral Cladribine data in brain atrophy in MS patients

A post hoc analysis of the Phase III CLARITY study showed that Cladribine Tablets reduced the annualized rate of brain volume loss - also known as brain atrophy - compared with placebo in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), says the drug’s developer, Germany’s Merck KGaA (MRK: DE).

In addition, the analysis – published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal - found that patients with lower rates of brain atrophy showed the highest probability of remaining free from disability progression at two years. This supports existing findings that increased brain volume loss over time is associated with worse clinical outcomes, such as increased disability progression and cognitive changes, in patients with multiple sclerosis.

"Evidence shows that brain atrophy in general accumulates throughout the course of multiple sclerosis and is associated with disability progression. This analysis is important because it confirms the link between reduced brain atrophy and reduced disability progression found in the CLARITY study," said Nicola De Stefano, lead author of the publication and Associate Professor of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena.