Can new chemical therapies improve the management of multiple sclerosis in children?

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) may represent up to 10% of all MS cases. Establishing the diagnosis of MS in a child is complicated by the limited diagnostic criteria and the possibility of significant overlap with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.

Areas covered: This review puts in perspective the potential possibilities given by new pharmacological agents in pediatric MS; focusing on the unmet needs in terms of research development in this field.

Expert opinion: The treatment landscape of MS has dramatically changed in the last 5 years. However, children are receiving licensed therapies for adult MS (generally first line therapies) in an arbitrary manner and our understanding of such treatments effects and tolerability in children is limited. Of critical importance, we need clinical trials of newer MS agents in children. Further research is needed to have a positive impact for children with MS.

KEYWORDS:

• Pediatric multiple sclerosis
• disease modifying therapy
• oral pharmacological agents

Article highlights

• Pediatric MS is a rare disease

• We have a general lack of RCT studies in pediatric MS population

• No data about pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are disposable in pediatric population

• We need the establishment of world-wide registries of pediatric MS population

This box summarizes key points contained in the article.

Declaration of interest

F Patti has served on the scientific advisory board for Teva, Biogen-Idec, Bayer-Schering, Novartis and has received honoraria as a speaker for Teva, Biogen, Merck-Serono, Bayer-Schering, Genzyme/Sanofi, Novartis. E D’Amico received funding for travel by Teva, Biogen, Merck-Serono, Bayer-Schering, Genzyme/Sanofi, Novartis. A Zanghì received travel founding from Bayer. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded