Immunomodulatory therapy for multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Substantial progress has been made over the past 25 years in terms of understanding the underlying pathophysiology, developing diagnostic and monitoring tools, and, most importantly, in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and its symptoms. Clinical trials have contributed greatly to this progress, as both successes and failures have helped understand that MS is far more complex than was initially appreciated. The spectrum of clinical phenotypes was thought to be an expression of varying severity of the disease rather than of different pathophysiological processes. Generally, treatment was reserved for later stages of the disease, when accrual of disability was well underway.