Hope for MS patients as Cambridge trial suggests drug combination may repair nerve damage
Early findings from a clinical trial in Cambridge suggest a combination of metformin, a diabetes drug, and clemastine, an antihistamine, can help repair myelin – the protective coating around nerves, which gets damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) causing symptoms like fatigue, pain, spasms and problems with walking.
The CCMR-Two trial, which was carried out by researchers at the University of Cambridge supported by NIHR Cambridge BRC, NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility and Cambridge University Hospitals, offers real hope of stopping MS progression. The trial was also supported by the MS Society.
Previous evidence from studies showed that metformin enhances the effect of clemastine on myelin repair, but until now the two drugs had never been tested together in people. News of the latest trial was presented at this year’s European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) – one of the world’s biggest MS research conferences – in Barcelona on Friday 26 September.
Over 150,000 people live with MS in the UK. While there are around 20 disease modifying therapies or people with relapsing MS, and some emerging for active progressive MS, tens of thousands of people remain without effective treatment. Those drugs that do exist only work on one aspect of the condition – the immune system. They don’t stop the gradual nerve damage that leads to long-term disability. The research in Cambridge has offered fresh hope to thousands affected by MS that life-changing treatment could be on the horizon.
Researchers stress people should not attempt to acquire the drugs outside a clinical trial, as further research is needed to fully understand their efficacy and safety in MS.
Full article: CUH news
Latest from CCTU
National Patient Led Research Hub celebrates tenth anniversary
A national team based in Cambridge are celebrating ten years of helping people living with rare diseases to develop their own research ideas. The hub has…
Hope for MS patients as Cambridge trial suggests drug combination may repair nerve damage
Early findings from a clinical trial in Cambridge suggest a combination of metformin, a diabetes drug, and clemastine, an antihistamine, can help repair…
Prospective study into controversial brain cyst syndrome is world first
The world’s first study of its kind highlights the potential value of surgery to treat a specific kind of brain cyst that blights the lives of patients.
