Several preliminary and phase I/II clinical trials have been conducted on fingolimod since 2006. Recommendation for approval was based on the results of 2 clinical trials.
FREEDOMS (FTY720 Research Evaluating Effects of Daily Oral therapy in Multiple Sclerosis) was a phase III, 24-month, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study, conducted on patients who had relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and received oral fingolimod at a dose of 0.5 mg or 1.25 mg daily (24). As compared with placebo, both doses of oral fingolimod improved the relapse rate, the risk of disability progression, and end points on MRI. The investigators pointed out that these benefits will need to be weighed against possible long-term risks based on adverse events reported during the trial. A subgroup analysis of primary outcome in the FREEDOMS trial showed that patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis with a wide spectrum of clinical and MRI features can potentially benefit from treatment with 0.5 mg fingolimod (12). Findings of FREEDOMS II, a placebo-controlled, double-blind phase III study, substantiated the beneficial profile of fingolimod as a disease-modifying agent in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and provided a detailed analysis of adverse effects (04). Pooling of the results of FREEDOMS I and II trials showed that over a period of 2 years the annual rates of brain volume loss was like that expected in healthy adults and was achieved in proportionately more patients with multiple sclerosis who received fingolimod than those who received placebo. Incidence of adverse events was slightly higher with fingolimod therapy than with placebo.
TRANSFORMS (Trial Assessing injectable interferon vs. FTY720 Oral in Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis) was a phase III, 12-month, double-blind, double-dummy study, in which patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis were randomly assigned to receive either oral fingolimod (0.5 mg or 1.25) daily or intramuscular interferon beta-1a weekly (09). Results showed the superior efficacy of oral fingolimod with respect to relapse rates and MRI outcomes. According to 1 comment on this study, it is still uncertain whether oral fingolimod could be used as first-line treatment or as an alternative treatment for patients who have failed immunomodulating therapy (37). Another commentary on these clinical trials suggested that only the lower dose of fingolimod (0.5 mg), which possibly has less toxicity, should be considered for prevention of relapses in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (13). A randomized extension of the TRANSFORMS study showed that switching from interferon beta-1a to fingolimod led to enhanced efficacy, which was sustained with continuous use of fingolimod for 2 years (26). Within the framework of this study, measurements of the brain volume by MRI showed that fingolimod reduced brain volume loss over 12 months as compared to interferon β-1a IM in all patient subgroups, and baseline gadolinium-enhancing T1 lesion count was most predictive of change in percentage brain volume change (02).
A double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, phase II study on Japanese patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis showed clinical efficacy of fingolimod in Japanese patients that is consistent with the established effects of fingolimod in clinical trials on Caucasian patients (39).
An open-label study on patients in the real-world clinical practice setting, such as those with co-existing diseases and other medications, confirmed that the first dose of fingolimod is safe and well tolerated (31).
In INFORMS (FTY720 in Patients with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis), a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group study, anti-inflammatory effects of fingolimod did not slow disease progression in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (32).
A systematic review of randomized trials has shown that treatment with fingolimod compared to placebo in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis is effective in reducing inflammatory disease activity, but it may make little or no difference in preventing worsening of disability (30). Evidence of effectiveness of fingolimod is provided by a systematic review of studies of fingolimod in the real-world practice beyond clinical trials, but some gaps remain to be investigated further due to diversity of methods used for assessing treatment benefits (47).