COVID-19 in teriflunomide-treated patients with multiple sclerosis

Authors

• Amir Hadi Maghzi, Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
• Maria K. Houtchens, Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
• Paolo Preziosa, Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
• Carolina Ionete, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, USA.
• Biljana D. Beretich, Department of Neurology, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, USA.
• James M. Stankiewicz, Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
• Shahamat Tauhid, Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
• Ann Cabot, Department of Neurology, Concord Hospital, Concord, NH, USA.
• Idanis Berriosmorales, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, USA.
• Tamara H. Schwartz, Department of Neurology, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, USA.
• Jacob A. Sloane, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
• Mark S. Freedman, University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
• Massimo Filippi, Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
• Howard L. Weiner, Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
• Rohit Bakshi, Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. rbakshi@post.harvard.edu.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2020

Institution/Department

Neurology and Neuroscience

Journal Title

Journal of neurology

MeSH Headings

Adult; Aged; Betacoronavirus; COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections (complications); Crotonates (therapeutic use); Female; Humans; Hydroxybutyrates; Immunosuppressive Agents (therapeutic use); Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis (complications, drug therapy); Nitriles; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral (complications); SARS-CoV-2; Toluidines (therapeutic use)

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.

First Page

2790

Last Page

2796

Recommended Citation

Maghzi AH, Houtchens MK, Preziosa P, et al. COVID-19 in teriflunomide-treated patients with multiple sclerosis. J Neurol. 2020;267(10):2790-2796. doi:10.1007/s00415-020-09944-8