Credit: Don Boomer
Multiple sclerosis drug invented at Scripps Research slows long-term devastating disease progression
Late-breaking data reinforces the effectiveness and safety of ozanimod, invented in the labs of professors Hugh Rosen and Edward Roberts.
November 06, 2023
LA JOLLA, CA — New data on ozanimod, an immune-modulating drug invented at Scripps Research and sold under the brand name Zeposia®, shows low rates of disease progression and cognition in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis—a chronic autoimmune disease that impacts the central nervous system. Ozanimod, which is marketed by the global biopharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for multiple sclerosis in March 2020 and ulcerative colitis in May 2021, was originally developed in the labs of Scripps Research professors Hugh Rosen, MD, PhD, and Edward Roberts, PhD.
In two clinical trials, 76% of patients treated with ozanimod for multiple sclerosis were free of six-month confirmed disability progression (CDP). These patients showed low rates of progression independent of relapse activity and relapse-associated worsening—major factors in multiple sclerosis disease progression and permanent disability. Additionally, in a separate clinical trial evaluating early forms of relapsing multiple sclerosis, patients showed clinical improvement in cognitive functioning. Bristol Myers Squibb presented this data at a global scientific conference, ECTRIMS, on October 11, 2023.
“Multiple sclerosis is a severe condition that can have devastating consequences on a person’s quality of life, where they can experience everything from numbness to muscle paralysis,” Rosen says. “This additional, late-breaking data highlights the promise that this drug can have for the many patients affected, notably in slowing down how quickly and significantly their disease progresses.”
In multiple sclerosis, the immune system mistakenly attacks the protective covering of nerves—known as the myelin sheath—which can lead to symptoms like painful vision loss, fatigue and loss of coordination. An estimated 1.8 million people around the world have multiple sclerosis, with relapsing cases affecting 85% to 90% of this group. In patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis, they experience clearly defined attacks of new or increasing neurologic symptoms.
Ozanimod works by acting on immune cells called lymphocytes, which are centrally involved in the autoimmune attack on myelin sheath. The drug binds to receptors on lymphocytes’ surfaces, keeping them from reaching the brain. As a result, the number of activated lymphocytes is decreased, diminishing the immune attack.
In a series of discoveries starting in 2002, Rosen and his colleagues showed that altering the activity of lymphocytes could dampen the effects of the immune system—insights that led to the new drug development. Rosen then worked with Roberts to develop ozanimod, which is also currently being studied in late-stage trials for the treatment of Crohn’s disease, another type of inflammatory bowel disease.
Ozanimod is one of 15 drugs invented at Scripps Research that have been approved by the FDA. Other drugs have been brought to market to treat more than a dozen other conditions with major unmet medical needs, including cardiovascular disease, arthritis, lupus, respiratory distress syndrome, gastric cancer, metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, hemophilia, anthrax inhalation and neuroblastoma.
For more information, contact press@scripps.edu