What the trial was testing
The CONNECT enrolled 156 patients with multiple sclerosis. The study was sponsored by Biogen and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Children taking dimethyl fumarate had 54% fewer relapses compared to those on interferon beta-1a.
JAMA network open · 2022 · NCT02283853
These findings — that children on dimethyl fumarate had about half as many MS relapses over two years — were published in the JAMA network open and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 156 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with multiple sclerosis, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera) is FDA-approved for pediatric multiple sclerosis in patients 10 years and older. This large study showed it worked better than an older treatment at preventing relapses and new brain lesions in children and teens. Talk with your child's neurologist about whether this medication is right for them.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open multiple sclerosis trials
Qualitative Study in Patients With Genodermatoses and Healthcare Professionals on Reproductive Counselling
The goal of this observational study is to understand the perspectives and needs of patients with genodermatoses and their partners who wish to have children, regarding their decision-making process and their consideration of reproductive options. Additionally, the investigators aim to investigate the level of knowledge and perspectives of healthcare professionals (such as clinical geneticists, dermatologists and other clinicians involved), and want to explore to what extent patients and their partners are well informed about these reproductive options. To achieve this, the investigators will conduct individual semi-structured qualitative interviews with participants affected by genodermatoses (and their partners) and with healthcare professionals.
Exploring Cortical Remyelination in Children With Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) in children, a rare disease, follows a relapsing remitting course with a shorter interval between the first 2 clinical events and higher annualized relapse rate as compared with MS in adults. Residual deficits following clinical events are less frequent. The vast majority of children and adolescents with MS are thought to have a greater potential for myelin repair than adults. However convincing data in the literature to support this hypothesis are lacking, because until now no imaging technique has been validated to measure remyelination in vivo.