Clinical trials for a medicine to treat multiple sclerosis has been approved. It is the most common auto immune disorder affecting the central nervous system.

Despite stringent regulations recently introduced by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) that had halted clinical trials in the country for a while, a new step has been taken in this direction. Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh is one of seven such institutes in India which has been selected for the trials to be conducted in 32 countries.

Besides the PGIMER, the other centres for clinical trial in India are AIIMS, New Delhi; Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Kerala; Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi; Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science, Lucknow; M S Ramaiah Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore; and Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai. The trial will be conducted among 900 patients worldwide, out of which 120 will be from India.

The drug ofatumumab for which the trial will start soon is expected to offer lesser side effects and will be more effective than the existing drug teriflunomide in patients who suffer from relapsing multiple sclerosis.

The new drug will be tested for its efficacy and side effects as compared to teriflunomide. It is known that ofatumumab is a chemotherapy medicine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The ethical committee has given the approval for the trial to begin and patients would soon be coming in.