MRI Trial to exPlore the efficAcy and Safety of IMU-838 in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (EMPhASIS)

Summary

This is a Phase 2 multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel-group trial to assess the efficacy and safety of 2 once-daily oral doses of IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium), a small molecule inhibitor of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), 30 mg/day and 45 mg/day in the main study, cohort 1 (and 10 mg/day for the patients in the cohort 2 substudy), in patients with RRMS and evidence of active disease. The trial consists of a screening period, a blinded 24-week main treatment period, and an optional initially blinded, then open-label extended treatment period of up to 9.5 years. About 40 centers are planned to participate in Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Poland; potential additional centers in Hungary and Croatia were not used. The study started with 195 patients in the main group (cohort 1) planned to be randomized 1:1:1 to treatment with 30 mg/day or 45 mg/day IMU-838, or placebo (65 patients each) in the main treatment period. During the extended treatment period, patients were initially re-randomized so that patients previously on placebo were re-randomized 1:1 to treatment with 30 g/day or 45 mg/day IMU-838, all other patients were re-randomized to the same treatment they previously received. With approval of Protocol Version 3.0, a sub-study patient group (cohort 2) has been added with up to 60 patients, randomized to placebo or 10 mg IMU-838 for 24 weeks after which the option is available to continue into the extended treatment period and the recommended dose of 30 mg/day. However, based on discussion between investigator and patient 45 mg/day IMU-838/day may also be used.

Timeline

Start

2019-01-28

Primary completion

2020-04-24

Completion

2029-12

Publications

• Fox RJ, Wiendl H, Wolf C, De Stefano N, Sellner J, Gryb V, Rejdak K, Bozhinov PS, Vitt D, Kohlhof H, Slizgi J, Ondrus M, Sciacca V, Muehler AR; EMPhASIS investigators. Safety and Dose-Response of Vidofludimus Calcium in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: Extended Results of a Placebo-Controlled Phase 2 Trial. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm. 2024 May;11(3):e200208. doi: 10.1212/NXI.0000000000200208. Epub 2024 Apr 25.
• Fox RJ, Wiendl H, Wolf C, De Stefano N, Sellner J, Gryb V, Rejdak K, Bozhinov PS, Tomakh N, Skrypchenko I, Muehler AR. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial evaluating the selective dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitor vidofludimus calcium in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2022 Jul;9(7):977-987. doi: 10.1002/acn3.51574. Epub 2022 Jun 14.

Drugs

Indications