Preserving cognitive function in RRMS

Bristol Myers Squibb presents new data showing effect of early Zeposia (ozanimod) treatment in improving and preserving cognitive function in people with Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis.

On June 24th, Bristol Myers Squibb presented results of the DAYBREAK open-label extension trial at the 8th European Academy of Neurology Congress in Vienna, Austria.

New post-hoc analyses from the Zeposia (ozanimod) Phase 3 DAYBREAK open-label extension (OLE) and Phase 3 SUNBEAM trials, showed early Zeposia use demonstrated cognitive benefits in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), with the greatest effect seen in people with high thalamic volume (TV), supporting an association between preserved brain volume (BV) and improved long-term cognitive outcomes.

Multiple sclerosis can lead to significant, irreversible brain volume loss and decreased cognition if not treated quickly upon diagnosis. These new analyses show the potential of early treatment with Zeposia to help stabilize and even improve cognition in people with multiple sclerosis with high brain volume, which is important for doctors and people with multiple sclerosi

John DeLuca, PhD, senior vice president for research and training, Kessler Foundation, and professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and of Neurology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

In these new exploratory analyses, Zeposia treatment showed improved or preserved cognitive function in a majority of patients, with the greatest improvement seen when used early in the disease when TV remains high, supporting a positive association between preserved BV and long-term cognitive performance. Zeposia was well tolerated with more than 80% of people who started the Phase 3 SUNBEAM trial (N=399 at baseline) remaining on continuous therapy through 48 months of the Phase 3 DAYBREAK OLE study (N=326).

Findings from the new research showed that people with high versus low BV, particularly TV, had higher cognitive performance, as assessed by the symbol digit modalities test (SDMT) score, at baseline. This trend remained stable or improved over 4-5 years of Zeposia treatment, leading to improved or preserved cognitive function in almost 80% of people with high TV (SDMT improved: 45.1%; SDMT preserved: 34.4%) and approximately 66% of people with low BV (SDMT improved: 35.6%; SDMT preserved: 30.7%) at Month 48 of the Phase 3 DAYBREAK OLE study.