No impact of current therapeutic strategies on disease reactivation after natalizumab discontinuation: a comparative analysis of different approaches during the first year of natalizumab discontinuation

Background and purposeNatalizumab discontinuation induces the recurrence of multiple sclerosis disease activity: currently no therapeutic approach has been found able to abolish disease reactivation. MethodsThe recurrence of disease activity after natalizumab discontinuation was retrospectively evaluated in 79 patients who had been treated with immunomodulating agents, other first-line therapies, fingolimod or not treated. ResultsNo differences have been found in clinical or magnetic resonance imaging recurrence of disease activity amongst the groups. Interestingly, no disease reactivation was observed only in one patient treated for 6months with monthly pulses of cyclophosphamide. ConclusionDisease modifying treatment or no treatment' is unable to abolish disease activity reactivation after natalizumab discontinuation.