Neurológia pre prax 5/2023

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulators in the treatment of early phase multiple sclerosis

Over the last decades, the scenario of multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment has changed radically. The increasing availability of effective disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) has shifted therapeutic targets from a reduction in relapses and increase in disability to the absence of signs of disease activity both clinically and on MRI. The choice of therapy is increasingly complex and should be guided by adequate knowledge of the mechanism of action of each drug, its efficacy and safety profile. Since DMTs mainly affect the inflammatory component of the disease predominant in early MS, early initiation of treatment is crucial. Recent recommendations lean towards early initiation of therapy with higher efficacy. Thus, the use of the S1P receptor modulator family of drugs as the first choice in the treatment of MS could lead to the stabilization of more patients from the onset of the disease and thus improve their long-term prognosis.

Keywords: multiple sclerosis, S1P modulators, fingolimod, siponimod, ponesimod, ozanimod, disease‑modifying drugs, early treatment