J Neurol COVID-19 in Teriflunomide-Treated Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

[tetano]

J Neurol


. 2020 Jun 3.
doi: 10.1007/s00415-020-09944-8. Online ahead of print.
COVID-19 in Teriflunomide-Treated Patients With Multiple Sclerosis


Amir Hadi Maghzi ¹ , Maria K Houtchens ¹ , Paolo Preziosa ² , Carolina Ionete ³ , Biljana D Beretich ⁴ , James M Stankiewicz ¹ , Shahamat Tauhid ¹ , Ann Cabot ⁵ , Idanis Berriosmorales ³ , Tamara H W Schwartz ⁴ , Jacob A Sloane ⁶ , Mark S Freedman ⁷ , Massimo Filippi ^{2 8} , Howard L Weiner ¹ , Rohit Bakshi ⁹



Affiliations

• PMID: 32494856
• DOI: 10.1007/s00415-020-09944-8

Abstract

The outbreak of a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by a novel coronavirus (COVID-19), has raised health concerns for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are commonly on long-term immunotherapies. Managing MS during the pandemic remains challenging with little published experience and no evidence-based guidelines. We present five teriflunomide-treated patients with MS who subsequently developed active COVID-19 infection. The patients continued teriflunomide therapy and had self-limiting infection, without relapse of their MS. These observations have implications for the management of MS in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Antiviral; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Multiple sclerosis; Teriflunomide.