Progressive forms of multiple sclerosis: disease-modifying therapy review

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating, inflammatory, autoimmune disease of the central nervous system which affects most commonly young adults. It has wide spectrum of clinical and radiological presentations with relapses or steady progression. Recent years have brought new reports on the pathogenesis of MS. This systematized the current MS classification and created new parameters describing the course of the disease, such as activity and progression. Attention has been paid to the need for new drugs that focus on the treatment of progressive MS. Until now, the primary and secondary progressive MS have been somewhat forgotten, and most of modifying-disease drugs have been registered in the treatment of relapsing-remitting subtype. In recent years, not only new drug has been registered for the treatment of progressive MS (ocrelizumab) and another one is planned to be approved soon (siponimod), but also indications of old medicines (interferon-beta1b, cladribine, mitoxantrone, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine) have been extended. Despite intensive development, there is still a great need to seek new drugs that will stop the progression of disability in MS patients.