Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks myelin surrounding nerves. It is a debilitating disease with no cure. Luckily, as our understanding of triggers in the immune system deepens, so does the likelihood of developing more effective treatments or even a cure. A new study shows just how far we have come.
A team of scientists from Northwestern University, University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland, and University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany demonstrated that resetting a patient's immune system was safe and reduced the targeting of myelin by 50%-75%. The phase 1 trial supported moving into a phase 2 trial in Switzerland after funds are raised. It is great news for patients and will likely revolutionize the way we treat autoimmune diseases and allergy medications. However, it will be a long time before it readily competes with Gilenya from Novartis (NYSE: NVS ) . Fool contributor Maxx Chatsko breaks it down for investors in the following video.