Follow-up of multiple sclerosis patients treated with Endotherapia (GEMSP)

Abstract

Abstract. Endotherapia (GEMSP) is a novel therapeutic approach for multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the efficiency of Endotherapia in the follow-up of 193 patients with MS. The efficiency coefficient that was evaluated was the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, which is a functional scale of MS progression. The evaluated score of each patient during follow-up visits was compared with the theoretical score of the disease progression without GEMSP. The evolution of the EDSS score was evaluated according to the inclusion score. The quantitative global study of the EDSS score highlighted a statistically significant difference between the final average scores of the treatment with GEMSP (M) and worldwide reference (R) groups. The improvement of the M group compared with the R group was 24.5%. According to the final EDSS scores, the study highlighted a difference in favor of the M group with 62.0% for scores ≤3, 7.8% for scores between 3 and 6 and 19.6% for scores ≥6. According to the qualitative evolution of the EDSS scores, the improvements in favor of group M were 49.3% for scores ≤3, 79.1% for scores between 3 and 6 and 19.5% for scores ≥6. The qualitative study of the EDSS score showed a statistically significant success percentage; the success percentages were between 59.1 and 90.0%. In a larger population of MS patients, the data confirm the beneficial effects of GEMSP that were previously reported in pre-clinical and clinical studies. In addition, 78% of patients showed an improvement or deceleration of the disease.

Editorial: New drugs, approaches and strategies for multiple sclerosis treatment

“…About 85% of the MS patients start with the relapsing-remitting form and after 12–15 years suffering from the latter form, the disease enters in the secondary progressive phase, being unfortunately the worsening continuous. Currently, most of the MS therapeutic strategies are directed against the inflammatory phase of the disease, important but not exclusive (Geffard et al, 2017 ). In fact, nerve disfunction and demyelination become more crucial processes in the progressive phase than the inflammatory mechanisms.…”

“…In addition, they are mainly directed against the MS relapsing-remitting phases but not against the progressive phase of the disease. This means that the therapeutic strategy against MS must be focused, not only on inflammatory mechanisms, but also against other processes such as neuronal death, demyelination and oxidative stress (Geffard et al, 2017 ). Thus, drug candidates/combination of drugs for the treatment of MS must accomplish the following three requirements: (1) They must exert a global beneficial effect counteracting all the pathological mechanisms reported in the disease (e.g., inflammation, demyelination, neuronal death); (2) They must act against all the MS phases; and (3) They should produce no or minimal side-effects.…”