Key clinical point : Neutrophil levels may decline in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) who have been on fingolimod for 2 or more years.
Major finding : In a cohort of patients continuously treated with fingolimod for at least 2 years, neutrophils declined over 6 months by about 9%, from an average of 3,698.56 cells per microliter to 3,336.13 cells per microliter.
Study details : Analysis of interim, 6-month data from the ongoing, open-label, phase 4 FLUENT study, which is a 12-month, prospective, multicenter, nonrandomized study to assess changes in the immune cell profiles of patients with relapsing MS who receive fingolimod. The interim results include data from 216 treatment-experienced patients and 166 treatment-naive patients.
Disclosures: Novartis funded the study, and four of the authors are Novartis employees. Dr. Cree disclosed consulting fees from Novartis and other pharmaceutical companies. His coauthors disclosed consulting fees, speaking fees, research support, and serving on advisory boards for pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis.
Citation: Mao-Draayer Y et al. CMSC 2019, Abstract DXM03 .