Ibudilast retarded brain atrophy in 255 advancing multiple scleroses (MS) patients more than a placebo in a National Institute of Health’s  (NIH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) funded the brain imaging clinical trial.

28 clinical locations were studied for 96 weeks to evaluate the decline in brain atrophy progress. MRI scans were done on the patients’ brains half-yearly. Varied analysis techniques were used as scales to measure the variations in brain alterations seen in the MRI films among the two groups.

Brain atrophy was observed in both the groups but the ibudilast group demonstrated the slower rate of shrinkage of the brain. The brain shrunk by 2.5ml more over two years in the group on placebo.

NINDS director Walter Koroshetz said, “These findings provide a glimmer of hope for people with a form of multiple sclerosis that causes long-term disability but does not have many treatment options.”

Adverse effects were observed to be similar in both the groups. The most common adverse effects produced by ibudilast were gastrointestinal disturbances like nausea, diarrhea, and headaches and depression.

Trial lead researcher Robert Fox said, “The trial’s results are very encouraging and point towards a potential new therapy to help people with progressive MS. It also increased our understanding of advanced imaging techniques, so that future studies may require a smaller number of patients followed over a shorter period of time.”