Immunic Inc (NASDAQ:IMUX) earlier this week highlighted the long-term clinical potential of its lead compound vidofludimus calcium in treating multiple sclerosis (MS).
Speaking to Proactive, Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Hella Kohlhof said the company’s approach focuses on addressing long-term disease progression rather than short-term symptom relief.
Proactive: It’s the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Why is this day an important moment to talk about Immunic’s work in multiple sclerosis?
Dr. Hella Kohlhof: When people are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the biggest fear for them is really losing their independence and ending up in a wheelchair. Losing independence is unfortunately a consequence of ongoing underlying disability progression that is caused by the disease. It usually affects young adults — they get the diagnosis when they are quite young, just starting their careers, education, and founding families.
There is huge uncertainty that affects the future. Multiple sclerosis gradually takes away your ability: walking, remembering, focusing on things, and managing everyday tasks. Talking about our work on this awareness day really highlights that scientific and clinical research aims to understand these challenges. That understanding is the way to develop treatments that help patients maintain their independence for as long as possible.
So really, the long-term outlook in MS is what deserves more focus?
Yes, that's absolutely true. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic lifelong autoimmune disease that affects many aspects of a patient's life, and not just over years, but decades. It's crucial to understand the processes behind disease progression to help develop better treatment options.
With our lead compound, vidofludimus calcium, we may be able to protect nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Vidofludimus calcium is able to protect nerve cell function. Our clinical studies are encouraging. We see signs that it reduces nerve damage. It can slow down the gradual worsening that occurs even in the absence of relapses. Only 50% of worsening in MS patients, including RMS patients, is caused by relapses. The other half is due to underlying progression.
I personally see three treatment success levels: delaying progression, halting worsening, and even improving abilities. In our studies, we have seen delaying and halting of progression over the treatment duration. In some patients, we even observed improvement in abilities, which is fantastic.
In addition to clinical outcomes, we tested biomarkers and observed positive signals indicating reduced nerve damage. This shows potential for protecting nerve cells. In long-term data — and we have treated some patients for over five and a half years — we see consistent signs that vidofludimus calcium can reduce the risk of confirmed disability worsening. That reinforces the idea that it could address the underlying processes driving long-term disability in MS.
What could this focus on long-term progression mean for patients’ everyday lives?
Focusing on long-term progression means looking beyond immediate symptoms like relapses. Suppressing relapses is important, but it’s not enough. We need to go further.
If we can slow or prevent long-term damage, people with multiple sclerosis may maintain their independence much longer, (like) walking, learning, spending time with family without the fear of gradual decline. Focusing on long-term progression helps patients keep control of their lives and provides more certainty and quality of life over time.
Looking ahead, Hella, what gives you hope for the future of MS research and treatment?
What gives me hope is the tremendous progress in understanding the biology and pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis. Only what you understand, you can really fight. Each insight brings us closer to approaches that could better protect neurological function and patients’ quality of life.
Observing this awareness day reminds us why our work matters. It’s about giving people living with MS the possibility to maintain independence and live full lives for as long as possible.
Quotes have been lightly edited for style and clarity