Comparison of standard 1.5 T vs. 3 T optimized protocols in patients treated with glatiramer acetate. A serial MRI pilot study

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Glatiramer Acetate, published as an observational study.

A 15-month, phase IV, open-label, single-blinded, prospective, observational study included 12 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis who underwent serial MRI scans (Days -45, -20, 0; the minus ign indicates the number of days before GA treatment; and on Days 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 270 and 360 during GA treatment) on 1.5 T and 3 T protocols.

Cumulative number and volume of Gd enhancing (Gd-E) and T2 lesions were calculated.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 12 patients were involved.

The age groups tagged for this paper are young adults, adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as single-blind, open-label and pilot.

In this single-blind Glatiramer Acetate study one party knew the assignments and the other did not.

Being open-label, the Glatiramer Acetate study did not mask who received what.

It is described as a pilot, a small early test of whether a larger Glatiramer Acetate study would be practical.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Brain, Gadolinium, Glatiramer Acetate, Immunosuppressive Agents, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting and Peptides.

Author keywords: 1.5 T, 3 T, T2 lesions, gadolinium-enhancing lesions and pilot trial.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a single-blind, open-label and pilot study of Glatiramer Acetate in 12 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2012 (International journal of molecular sciences), a journal based in Switzerland.

More context: the Glatiramer Acetate compound page, all human trials.