Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38131621›Full record

Trial reportMultiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)2024

A phase 2a open-label clinical trial to determine the effect of famciclovir on EBV activity as measured by EBV shedding in the saliva of patients with multiple sclerosis.

Ruth Dobson, David Holden, Nicola Vickaryous, Jonathan Bestwick, Katila George, Tatiana Sayali, Lucia Bianchi, Mohammad Wafa, Julian Gold, Gavin Giovannoni

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase II
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05283551 (A Phase 2 Open Label Clinical Trial to Determine the Effect of Famciclovir on Epstein-Barr Virus Activity as Measured by EBV Shedding in Saliva of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis.), which is not on this map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05283551 phase2unknown statusnot on this map

A Phase 2 Open Label Clinical Trial to Determine the Effect of Famciclovir on Epstein-Barr Virus Activity as Measured by EBV Shedding in Saliva of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis.

TypeinterventionalSponsorQueen Mary University of LondonRan2020 to 2023Enrolled30ConditionsMultiple SclerosisArmsFamciclovir
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. CD4Science translational medicine · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Ruth DobsonCentre for Preventive Neurology, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2993-585X
David HoldenBlizard Institute, Queen Mary University London, UK.
Nicola VickaryousCentre for Preventive Neurology, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University London, London, UK.
Jonathan BestwickCentre for Preventive Neurology, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University London, London, UK.
Katila GeorgeCentre for Preventive Neurology, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University London, London, UK.
Tatiana SayaliDepartment of Neurology, The Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
Lucia BianchiDepartment of Neurology, The Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
Mohammad WafaDepartment of Neurology, The Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
Julian GoldThe Albion Centre, School of Medicine, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Gavin GiovannoniDepartment of Neurology, The Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
Queen Mary University of London · GBBarts Health NHS Trust · GBThe University of Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite increasing evidence that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) plays a causal role in MS, no treatments have been shown to reduce EBV turnover. We studied the effect of famciclovir on salivary EBV shedding in people with MS (NCT05283551) in a pilot, proof-of-concept study.

methodsPeople with MS receiving natalizumab provided weekly saliva samples for 12 weeks before starting famciclovir 500 mg twice daily for 12 weeks. Twelve saliva samples were provided on treatment and 12 following treatment. A real-time qPCR Taqman assay was used to detect EBV DNA in saliva. The proportion of saliva samples containing EBV DNA was compared using the Friedman test.

resultsOf 30 participants (19 F; mean age 41 years; median EDSS 3.5), 29 received famciclovir, and 24 completed the 12-week course. Twenty-one participants provided at least one usable saliva sample in all epochs. Ten of the 21 had shedding in at least one sample pre-drug; 7/21 when taking famciclovir (not significant). No difference in EBV DNA copy number was seen. There were no drug-related serious adverse events.

conclusionNo significant effect of famciclovir on EBV shedding was seen in this small pilot study. Given the low numbers, a small effect of famciclovir cannot be excluded. Salivary EBV shedding in this natalizumab-treated cohort was lower than in previous studies, which requires replication.

Indexed as

Epstein-Barr Virus InfectionsMultiple SclerosisAdultDNADNA, ViralFamciclovirHerpesvirus 4, HumanHumansNatalizumabPilot ProjectsSalivaDNADNA, ViralFamciclovirNatalizumabanti-viralEpstein–Barr virusMultiple sclerosis

Identifiers

PMID38131621
PMCPMC10782647
OpenAlexW4390113950

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.