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NCT03500328Completed

Traditional Versus Early Aggressive Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis Trial

A Pragmatic Trial to Evaluate the Intermediate-term Effects of Early, Aggressive Versus Escalation Therapy in People With Multiple Sclerosis

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 23 Sept 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

FDA-approved multiple sclerosis (MS) disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) target the relapsing phase of MS but have minimal impact once the progressive phase has begun. It is unclear if, in the relapsing phase, there is an advantage of early aggressive therapy with respect to preventing long-term disability. The infectious risks and other complications associated with higher-efficacy treatments highlight the need to quantify their effectiveness in preventing disability. The TRaditional versus Early Aggressive Therapy for MS (TREAT-MS) trial is a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial that has two primary aims: 1) to evaluate, jointly and independently among patients deemed at higher risk vs. lower risk for disability accumulation, whether an "early aggressive" therapy approach, versus starting with a traditional, first-line therapy, influences the intermediate-term risk of disability, and 2) to evaluate if, among patients deemed at lower risk for disability who start on first-line MS therapies but experience breakthrough disease, those who switch to a higher-efficacy versus a new first-line therapy have different intermediate-term risk of disability.

Status (registry)
Completed
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
900 (actual)
First submitted
21 Feb 2018
Start date
2 May 2018
Primary completion date
31 Jul 2026
Lead sponsor
Johns Hopkins University
NCT number
NCT03500328

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional
  • Participants enrolled: 900
  • From 2 May 2018 to the primary completion date, 31 Jul 2026
  • 47 sites in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Prior treatment with rituximab, ocrelizumab, ofatumumab, alemtuzumab, mitoxantrone or cladribine
  • Prior treatment with any other MS DMT for more than 6 months
  • Prior treatment with experimental aggressive therapies (e.g., T-cell vaccine, total lymphoid radiation, stem cells)
  • Treatment with teriflunomide within past 2 years (even for ≤ 6 months), unless rapid wash out done (i.e., with cholestyramine or activated charcoal)
  • Prior treatment with any other investigational immune-modulating /suppressing drug for MS not listed above

Age

  • Women of child-bearing age who are planning or strongly considering conception during the study time frame

Other

  • Treatment in the past 6 months with any MS DMT
  • Pregnant or breast-feeding

Who the study is looking for

  • Aged 18-60 years
  • Meets 2017 McDonald criteria for relapsing-remitting MS \[patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) are not eligible\]
  • Must be EITHER John Cunningham (JC) virus antibody negative or low positive (index antibody titer \<0.9), OR negative for: Hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis
  • HIV negative
  • No chemotherapy in past year; if patient has prior history of chemotherapy or malignancy, documentation in chart explaining why potential risks of higher-efficacy therapy are justified

Age in the registry: 18 years to 60 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (47)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
University of Michigan
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Ann ArborUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Maryland, Baltimore
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BaltimoreUnited StatesUnknown status
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
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BaltimoreUnited StatesUnknown status
Billings Clinic
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BillingsUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Alabama at Birmingham
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BirminghamUnited StatesUnknown status
Massachusetts General Hospital
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BostonUnited StatesUnknown status
The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College
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BurlingtonUnited StatesUnknown status
CommonSpirit Health Research Institute
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CarmichaelUnited StatesUnknown status
Rush University Medical Center
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ChicagoUnited StatesUnknown status
Blacksburg Neurology
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ChristiansburgUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Cincinnati
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CincinnatiUnited StatesUnknown status
OhioHealth Research Institute
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ColumbusUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
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DallasUnited StatesUnknown status
Baylor Scott and White Health
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DallasUnited StatesUnknown status
Geisinger Clinic
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DanvilleUnited StatesUnknown status
Wayne State University
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DetroitUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Florida
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GainesvilleUnited StatesUnknown status
Advanced Neurology Specialists
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Great FallsUnited StatesUnknown status
Hackensack University Medical Center
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HackensackUnited StatesUnknown status
The University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC)
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Kansas CityUnited StatesUnknown status
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
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Los AngelesUnited StatesUnknown status
University of California, Los Angeles
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Los AngelesUnited StatesUnknown status
Norton Neurology MS Services
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LouisvilleUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Miami
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MiamiUnited StatesUnknown status
Medical College of Wisconsin
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MilwaukeeUnited StatesUnknown status
The University of South Alabama
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MobileUnited StatesUnknown status
Vanderbilt Comprehensive MS Center
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NashvilleUnited StatesUnknown status
Christiana Care Health Services, Inc.
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NewarkUnited StatesUnknown status
Columbia University Medical Center
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New YorkUnited StatesUnknown status
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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New YorkUnited StatesUnknown status
New York University School of Medicine
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New YorkUnited StatesUnknown status
Neurology Consultants of Tidewater
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NorfolkUnited StatesUnknown status
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
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Oklahoma CityUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Nebraska Medical Center
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OmahaUnited StatesUnknown status
St. Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center / Barrow Neurological Institute
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PhoenixUnited StatesUnknown status
Allegheny Health Network Research Institute
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PittsburghUnited StatesUnknown status
Providence Health and Services - Oregon
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PortlandUnited StatesUnknown status
Mayo Clinic
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RochesterUnited StatesUnknown status
Central Texas Neurology Consultants
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Round RockUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Utah
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Salt Lake CityUnited StatesUnknown status
University of California San Diego
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San DiegoUnited StatesUnknown status
University of California San Francisco
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San FranciscoUnited StatesUnknown status
Swedish Health Services
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SeattleUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Washington
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SeattleUnited StatesUnknown status
University of South Florida Health
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TampaUnited StatesUnknown status
Georgetown University
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Washington D.C.United StatesUnknown status
University of Massachusetts Medical School
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WorcesterUnited StatesUnknown status

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.