Norwegian Study of Oral Cladribine and Rituximab in Multiple Sclerosis (NOR-MS)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating and neurodegenerative inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, affecting more than 12 000 patients in Norway and more than 2.2 mill patients worldwide. Oral cladribine is one of the first choices for highly efficient disease modulatory treatment (DMT), while Rituximab is used off-label as DMT in relapsing MS. Large observational studies indicate good tolerance and treatment effect of rituximab in MS and studies from other diseases indicate a good safety profile. However, no phase 3 studies have been performed to test whether rituximab is as efficient as established MS treatments. Formal safety data is also lacking for the treatment with rituximab in MS. The investigators will perform a prospective randomized open-label blinded endpoint multicenter non-inferiority study. The primary objective is to test whether rituximab is non-inferior to oral cladribine in the treatment of relapsing MS. 264 MS patients aged 18-65 years with relapsing MS will be recruited from 10 centers and followed for 96 weeks. The primary endpoint is difference in new T2 lesions between the groups. Furthermore, the investigators will test novel blood sample and MRI biomarkers to provide tools for personalized MS treatments. Finally, the health economic consequences of these treatment options will be evaluated. This study will guide clinicians and patients in the future treatment choice for MS and can potentially make a huge impact on the costs of future MS treatment.