COVID-19 in patients with multiple sclerosis treated with cladribine tablets: An update.
BACKGROUND
We previously summarized outcomes for 46 cladribine tablets (CladT)-treated patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and confirmed or suspected COVID-19, as reported to the Merck KGaA Global Patient Safety Database. This report updates on these findings, to 15 January 2021, for a total of 272 reported cases of COVID-19 among CladT recipients.


METHODS
Case definitions: confirmed (COVID-19 diagnostic test was positive); suspected (no confirmatory test performed/reported). Cases fulfilling the criteria of hospitalized, medically significant, or fatal were designated as serious and outcomes were classified per usual pharmacovigilance practice.


RESULTS
The evaluable cohort comprised 261 patients (confirmed COVID-19, n=160; suspected, n=101); an additional 11 patients had symptoms compatible with COVID-19 but were not evaluated further given their negative diagnostic tests. Median time to onset of COVID-19 from the most recent preceding CladT treatment course was 162 days (n=139). Outcomes were: recovered/recovering, n=133 (51%); not recovered/not resolved, n=19 (7%); died, n=1 (0.4%); and not reported/missing/pending, n=108 (41%). Of the total cohort, 40 (15%) experienced serious COVID-19.


CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that CladT-treated patients with MS are generally not at greater risk of serious disease and/or a severe outcome with COVID-19 compared with the general population and other patients with MS who acquired COVID-19.
['Jack|Dominic|D|', 'Damian|Doris|D|', 'Nolting|Axel|A|', 'Galazka|Andrew|A|']
D000086382:COVID-19 D017338:Cladribine D006801:Humans D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents D009103:Multiple Sclerosis D000086402:SARS-CoV-2 D013607:Tablets
COVID-19 Multiple sclerosis Cladribine tablets