[Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS) is a somewhat imprecise term to describe a first consequential neurologic episode caused by inflammation or demyelination in the CNS; it is thought to be a risk factor for MS.]
›PreCISe Data Presented at World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis
September 19, 2008
JERUSALEM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New data from PreCISe, in clinically isolated syndrome patients, have demonstrated that Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) significantly improved neuro-axonal integrity in patients presenting with a first clinical event suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) versus patients who received placebo (p=0.03), as measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). This effect was maintained over two years of treatment. [However, only the 1-year data were statsig—see below.]
The data represent the first evidence of neuro-axonal protection by a disease modifying therapy in patients presenting with a first clinical event suggestive of MS.
Data were derived from an ancillary study from the Phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled PreCISe trial, which demonstrated that patients treated with Copaxone (n=243) had a 45 percent reduction in the risk of developing clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) compared to those on the placebo (n=238).
“These newly announced data, so far shown in RRMS patients treated with Copaxone, provide more evidence that treatment may control the neuronal damage associated with MS disease pathology,” said Douglas Arnold, M.D., Professor of Neurology, McGill University and the primary investigator of this ancillary study. “The PreCISe trial demonstrated a significant benefit of Copaxone on both clinical and MRI disease activity, along with further reinforcing the excellent safety profile.”
The data were presented along with two other presentations from the PreCISe study at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, in Montreal, Canada. Additional data derived from the PreCISe study demonstrated that Copaxone significantly delayed time to conversion to CDMS and reduced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disease activity. The effect was robust among the PreCISe study population (n=481), as a whole and also in subgroups of patients (segmented by gender, age, type of unifocal manifestation as well as steroid treatment for the initial attack, and MRI findings at study baseline). Based on these data, applications for marketing authorization for the extension of its indication to include the treatment of patients with a first clinical event suggestive of MS were submitted in Europe and in the U.S. and are currently under review.
About the PreCISe Data
The study, “Treatment with glatiramer acetate protects axons in patients with clinically isolated syndromes: evidence from the PreCISe trial,” determined that patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) who received Copaxone showed improvement in their cerebral neuro-axonal integrity relative to patients treated with placebo.
Proton MRS was performed in a subgroup of patients in the PreCISe trial (n=34) to measure the concentration of N-acetulaspartate (NAA) levels. NAA/CR measurements were acquired each year from each patient enrolled at 10 clinical sites in seven countries. Patients terminated at the time of relapse.
Patients who received Copaxone showed significant improvement in their cerebral neuro-axonal integrity compared to patients treated with placebo, who showed the decline expected from natural history studies. Paired changes in NAA/CR ratio differed significantly between both patients treated with Copaxone (+0.14, n=11) compared to those treated with placebo (-0.33, n=9, p=0.03) at one year, and the change maintained at two years (Copaxone n=6, +0.17; placebo n=3, -0.23, p=0.15).
Previously announced PreCISe studies included:
“Treatment with glatiramer acetate reduces MRI-detectable disease activity in patients at presentation with CIS suggestive of MS”
* Demonstrated that early treatment with Copaxone is effective in both delaying time to conversion to CDMS and reducing MRI activity in patients presenting with CIS
“Treatment with glatiramer acetate delays conversion to CDMS in patients with CIS: subgroup analyses”
* Demonstrated that Copaxone treatment effect was robust among the PreCISe study population (n=481) as a whole ,as well as in subgroups of patients (broken down by gender, age and type of unifocal manifestation and steroid treatment for the initial attack, and MRI findings at study baseline)‹
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