The advent of disease-modifying drugs in the mid-1990s heralded a period of rapid advancements in the understanding and management of MS. With the support of magnetic resonance imaging it is now possible to diagnose MS and start treatment at the time of the first clinical attack. To date several competitive disease-modifying drugs are available for MS and patients and clinicians have to deal with an enlarging body of evidence that increases the uncertainty about optimal treatment choice.
The proposed project aims to answer these two questions: a) What happens when people who receive a diagnosis of MS decide to start treatment with a disease modifying drug (DMD)? b) Which DMDs have the best efficacy-safety profile?
To answer these questions, Georgia Salanti and her colleagues will conduct a systematic review of the scientific literature that aims to evaluate the benefit and safety of all the available disease-modifying drugs compared with placebo and among themselves. The project will start in December 2016. ISPM members will also include Matthias Egger and Cinzia Del Giovane and the project will be carried out in collaboration with the Cochrane Multiple Sclerosis and Rare Diseases group.
