A world-first, Cambridge-led trial has provided evidence that a combination of two widely used drugs may be able to reverse some of the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS), offering hope to patients.
Over 150,000 people live with MS in the UK. While some therapies do exist, they only work on one aspect of the condition and don’t stop the gradual nerve damage that leads to long-term disability.
It would mean everything to find a way to stop MS progressing and would be the answer to the pray. This research gives me even more reason to believe that in my lifetime everyone with MS will have treatments that work for them.
Hannah Threlfell, CCMR-Two trial participant
The findings of the trial suggest a combination of metformin, a diabetes drug, and clemastine, an antihistamine, can help repair myelin – the protective coating around nerves, which gets damaged in MS causing symptoms like fatigue, pain, spasms and problems with walking.
This was a short-term trial and participants did not gain noticeable benefits from the treatment. Further research with more people over a longer period of time will be needed to establish whether the effects of the treatment could actually help to reduce or reverse the symptoms of MS.
The trial included 70 people with relapsing MS, who were either given the drug combination or a placebo. It was led by Dr Nick Cunniffe, consultant neurologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and academic neurologist at the University of Cambridge. It was the first trial to investigate using metformin and clemastine together in people.
I am increasingly sure that remyelination is part of the solution to stopping progressive disability in MS. We still need to research the long-term benefits and side effects before people with MS consider taking these drugs. But my instinct is that we are on the brink of a new class of treatments to stop MS progression.
Dr Nick Cunniffe, consultant neurologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and academic neurologist at the University of Cambridge
The trial was funded by the MS Society and results were recently presented at one of the world’s largest MS research conferences, ECTRIMS.
These results are truly exciting, and could represent a turning point in the way MS is treated. We desperately need ways to protect nerves from damage and repair lost myelin, and this research gives us real hope that myelin repair drugs will be part of the armoury of MS treatments in the future.
Dr Emma Gray, Director of Research at the MS Society