Novartis data highlight benefit of early treatment initiation in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS)

• Novartis presented a total of 34 abstracts at the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), emphasizing its strong multiple sclerosis (MS) portfolio with 20 abstracts

• Long-term efficacy data from EXPAND, previously presented at the American Association of Neurology Congress, show patients with SPMS continuously treated with Mayzent^® (siponimod) experienced a sustained effect in delaying disability for up to 5 years, demonstrating the advantages of early treatment¹
   
• These data also show that for every 2 years of treatment with Mayzent patients can achieve 1 year of delay of progression and cognitive decline²
   
• EXPAND data demonstrated Mayzent consistently slowed cortical grey matter and thalamic atrophy across all SPMS patient subgroups, including those with less active disease and higher disability³

The digital press release with multimedia content can be accessed here:

Basel, May 28, 2020 — Novartis announced today that Mayzent data from the Phase III EXPAND trial were published in the European Journal of Neurology after the 6^th EAN, held virtually due to COVID-19. These data, which included separate post hoc analyses from the Phase III EXPAND trial, continue to build on existing clinical evidence that Mayzent has significant impact on reducing the risk of disease progression, including physical disability and cognitive decline for patients with SPMS⁴.

“We are pleased to highlight data demonstrating that Mayzent helps slow disability progression and declining cognitive function,” said Norman Putzki, M.D., Global Head of Development Neuroscience. “For people living with MS, it’s essential to get ahead of disease progression and treat early so that they can maintain as much independence as possible in the future. We are dedicated to reimagining MS treatment and bringing hope to people with progressive diseases like MS.”

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About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 109,000 people of more than 145 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at https://www.novartis.com.

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References
1.    Kappos L, et al. Long-term Efficacy and Safety of Siponimod in Patients with SPMS: EXPAND Extension Analysis up to 5 Years. Eur J Neurol. 2020;27(1).
2.    Gold R, et al. Siponimod Slows Physical Disability Progression and Decline in Cognitive Processing Speed in SPMS Patients with Active Disease: A Post Hoc Analysis of the EXPAND Study. Eur J Neurol. 2020;27(1).
3.    Fox R, et al. Effect of Siponimod on Grey Matter Atrophy in Patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: Subgroup Analyses from the EXPAND Study. Eur J Neurol. 2020;27(1).
4.    Kappos L, Cree B, Fox R, et al. Siponimod versus placebo in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (EXPAND): a double-blind, randomized, phase 3 study. Lancet. Published online March 22, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30475-6.

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