Promising Oral Compounds for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis: A Glance into the Future

Recently, there have been major advances in the development of disease-modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and new promising treatment compounds are on the horizon. The available drugs mainly target inflammatory components of MS; hence, there is an urgent need for new treatment approaches that focus on the neurodegenerative aspects of the disease. Innovative study designs and biomarkers such as neurofilament light chain and brain atrophy measurement could help to identify neuroprotective treatments for the progressive phase of MS. Furthermore, there is increasing knowledge on the impact of dietary factors on MS (e.g., vitamin D). Although their exact role in the pathophysiology of MS is unclear, there are first hints that they might modulate the disease course. Randomized studies are necessary to evaluate the value of substitution therapies for these dietary factors. In this review, the authors focus on promising oral compounds and dietary factors that are in the early development stages for the treatment of MS.