Recent advance in disease-modifying drugs for multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, mainly characterized by demyelination of white matter. It has been relapsed and remitted repeatedly during the course of the disease. In the remission period, it is treated with disease-modifying therapies. The goal is to reduce the risk of recurrence and disability progression. Until now, many disease-modifying drugs have been approved for MS, including subcutaneous injection of interferon β and glatiramer acetate, oral small molecule preparations (teriflunomide, dimethyl fumarate, fingolimod, cladribine, and siponimod), intravenous injection of monoclonal antibodies (ocrelizumab, alemtuzumab, and natalizumab) and chemotherapy drug (mitoxantrone). This article will review the recent advance in disease-modifying drugs for MS. Key words: Multiple sclerosis; Disease-modifying drug; Disease-modifying therapy