Ravulizumab is a complement inhibitor that differs by only three amino acids compared to eculizumab, which was approved in 2019 for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). These three additional amino acids mean that it lasts in the circulation for longer and therefore requires infusion every 8 weeks, compared to eculizumab’s 2-week requirement. Michael Levy, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, discusses the Phase III results of CHAMPION-NMOSD (NCT04201262), which ran for three years, recruiting 50-60 patients with a medium duration of treatment of 73 weeks. The study utilized, for ethical consideration, the placebo arm from the eculizumab trial for comparison and ensured that it followed a similar structure to that trial along with the same inclusion criteria. The final outcome was zero relapses in the ravulizumab group, a very close result to the eculizumab trial. Furthermore, the safety outcomes were similar, with two cases in this study contracting meningitis (both having full recoveries). The subgroup analysis showed no meaningful discoveries. This interview took place at the AAN Annual Meeting 2023 in Boston, MA.
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