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
- Diseases
- Multiple sclerosis
- 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
Sites (47)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Ann Arbor | United States | Unknown status |
| University of Maryland, Baltimore Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Baltimore | United States | Unknown status |
| The Johns Hopkins Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Baltimore | United States | Unknown status |
| Billings Clinic Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Billings | United States | Unknown status |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Birmingham | United States | Unknown status |
| Massachusetts General Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Boston | United States | Unknown status |
| The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Burlington | United States | Unknown status |
| CommonSpirit Health Research Institute Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Carmichael | United States | Unknown status |
| Rush University Medical Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Chicago | United States | Unknown status |
| Blacksburg Neurology Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Christiansburg | United States | Unknown status |
| University of Cincinnati Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Cincinnati | United States | Unknown status |
| OhioHealth Research Institute Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Columbus | United States | Unknown status |
| University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Dallas | United States | Unknown status |
| Baylor Scott and White Health Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Dallas | United States | Unknown status |
| Geisinger Clinic Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Danville | United States | Unknown status |
| Wayne State University Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Detroit | United States | Unknown status |
| University of Florida Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Gainesville | United States | Unknown status |
| Advanced Neurology Specialists Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Great Falls | United States | Unknown status |
| Hackensack University Medical Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Hackensack | United States | Unknown status |
| The University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Kansas City | United States | Unknown status |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Los Angeles | United States | Unknown status |
| University of California, Los Angeles Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Los Angeles | United States | Unknown status |
| Norton Neurology MS Services Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Louisville | United States | Unknown status |
| University of Miami Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Miami | United States | Unknown status |
| Medical College of Wisconsin Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Milwaukee | United States | Unknown status |
| The University of South Alabama Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Mobile | United States | Unknown status |
| Vanderbilt Comprehensive MS Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Nashville | United States | Unknown status |
| Christiana Care Health Services, Inc. Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Newark | United States | Unknown status |
| Columbia University Medical Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | New York | United States | Unknown status |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | New York | United States | Unknown status |
| New York University School of Medicine Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | New York | United States | Unknown status |
| Neurology Consultants of Tidewater Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Norfolk | United States | Unknown status |
| Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Oklahoma City | United States | Unknown status |
| University of Nebraska Medical Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Omaha | United States | Unknown status |
| St. Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center / Barrow Neurological Institute Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Phoenix | United States | Unknown status |
| Allegheny Health Network Research Institute Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Pittsburgh | United States | Unknown status |
| Providence Health and Services - Oregon Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Portland | United States | Unknown status |
| Mayo Clinic Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Rochester | United States | Unknown status |
| Central Texas Neurology Consultants Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Round Rock | United States | Unknown status |
| University of Utah Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Salt Lake City | United States | Unknown status |
| University of California San Diego Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | San Diego | United States | Unknown status |
| University of California San Francisco Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | San Francisco | United States | Unknown status |
| Swedish Health Services Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Seattle | United States | Unknown status |
| University of Washington Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Seattle | United States | Unknown status |
| University of South Florida Health Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Tampa | United States | Unknown status |
| Georgetown University Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Washington D.C. | United States | Unknown status |
| University of Massachusetts Medical School Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Worcester | United States | Unknown status |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.