What the trial was testing
The ASCLEPIOS II enrolled 946 patients with multiple sclerosis. The study was sponsored by Novartis 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
About half as many MS relapses per year compared with teriflunomide.
New England Journal of Medicine · 2020 · NCT02792218
These findings — that per year on ofatumumab compared with teriflunomide in relapsing MS — were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 946 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
Ofatumumab (Kesimpta) is FDA-approved for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis and available now. It is given as a once-monthly injection at home — no infusion center needed. Most common side effects are injection-site reactions and upper respiratory infections. Ask your neurologist whether it fits your case.
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
Swiss Pediatric Inflammatory Brain Disease Registry (Swiss-Ped-IBrainD)
The Swiss-Ped-IBrainD is a national patient registry that collects information on diagnosis, symptoms, treatment, and follow-up of pediatric patients with an inflammatory brain disease in Switzerland. It was first implemented in 2020 in the pediatric clinic of the university hospital in Bern. Further centers all over Switzerland opened for recruitment after that: Aarau, Basel, Bellinzona, Chur, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Winterthur and Zurich. The center in Fribourg is expected open for recruitment in 2025. The registry provides data for national and international monitoring and research. It supports research on inflammatory brain diseases in Switzerland and the exchange of knowledge between clinicians, researchers, and therapists. The registry aims to improve the treatment of children with inflammatory brain diseases and optimizing their health care and quality of life.
Auditory Functions in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
The study will analyze the auditory functions of patients with Multiple Sclerosis using auditory tests like pure tone auditory test, speech perception test, Auditory Brain Response (ABR) and Distortion Product Otoacustic Emission (DPOAE). CSF will be collected by lumbar puncture and analyzed looking for inflammatory markers. The results of DPOAE and CSF will be correlated to identify statistically significant correlation.