Dimethyl fumarate: A guide to its use in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Oral dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera®) is a useful addition to the therapeutic options available to treat relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). In placebo-controlled trials in patients with RMSS, dimethyl fumarate 240 mg twice daily reduced the annualized relapse rate, the proportion of patients with MS relapse at 2 years, and magnetic resonance imaging-assessed disease activity. Dimethyl fumarate was generally well tolerated, with the most commonly occurring adverse events including flushing and gastrointestinal events. According to interim results of a long-term extension study, dimethyl fumarate provides continued efficacy for up to 4 years of treatment, with no new tolerability concerns. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.