Vrenken, H. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9106-1172
Battaglini, M. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9188-4408
de Vos, M. L.
Nagtegaal, G. J.
Teixeira, B. C. A. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4769-6562
Seitzinger, A. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8088-9695
Jack, D. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8629-553X
Sormani, M. P. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6892-104X
Uitdehaag, B. M. J. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9226-7364
Versteeg, A.
Comi, G. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6989-1054
Kappos, L. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4175-5509
De Stefano, N. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4930-7639
Barkhof, F. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3543-3706
Funding for this research was provided by:
Merck
Article History
Received: 9 December 2021
Revised: 23 December 2022
Accepted: 27 December 2022
First Online: 1 February 2023
Declarations
:
: HV has received research support from Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, and Teva, consulting fees from Merck, and speaker honoraria from Novartis; all funds were paid to his institution. GJN has received personal compensation for activities with Bayer and research support from Merck. AS is an employee of Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. DJ is an employee of Merck Serono Ltd, Feltham, UK (an affiliate of Merck KGaA). MPS has received consulting fees from Biogen, Genzyme, GeNeuro, MedDay, Merck, Novartis, Roche, and Teva. BMJU has received consultancy fees from Biogen, Merck, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi-Genzyme, and Teva. AV has received research support from Merck. GC has received consulting fees from Bayer, Biogen, Merck, Novartis, Receptos, Roche/Genentech, Sanofi-Aventis, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd; lecture fees from Bayer, Biogen, Merck, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, Serono Symposia International Foundation, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd; and trial grant support from Bayer, Biogen, Merck, Novartis, Receptos, Roche/Genentech, Sanofi-Aventis, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. LK’s institution (University Hospital Basel, University of Basel) has received in the last 3 years and used exclusively for research support: steering committee, advisory board, and consultancy fees (Actelion [Janssen/JandJ], Addex, Bayer, Biogen, Biotica, Genzyme, Lilly, Merck, Mitsubishi, Novartis, Ono Pharma, Pfizer, Receptos, Sanofi, Santhera, Siemens, Teva, UCB, and Xenoport); speaker fees (Bayer, Biogen, Merck, Novartis, Sanofi, and Teva); support of educational activities (Bayer, Biogen, CSL Behring, Genzyme, Merck, Novartis, Sanofi, and Teva); license fees for Neurostatus products; and grants (Bayer, Biogen, European Union, Merck, Novartis, Roche Research Foundation, Swiss MS Society, and Swiss National Research Foundation). NDeS is a consultant for Biogen, Merck, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi-Genzyme, and Teva; has grants or grants pending from FISM and Novartis, is on the speakers’ bureaus of Biogen, Merck, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi-Genzyme, and Teva; and has received travel funds from Merck, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi-Genzyme, and Teva. FB is supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at UCLH and is a consultant to Biogen, Combinostics, IXICO, Merck, and Roche. MB, MLdeV, and BCAT have nothing to disclose.
: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00404352) and the protocol has been approved by ethical committees at all participating sites. All patients gave written informed consent for their participation.