University college london University of Edinburgh Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit Multiple Sclerosis Society National Institute for Health Research

February 2014 Update

Final preparations are underway......
We aim to start recruitment in late Spring 2014 

Thank you to everyone who has registered their interest in finding out about the trial. We will be in contact when the trial is closer to opening.


Multiple Sclerosis - Secondary Progressive Multi-Arm Randomisation Trial

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disabling and progressive neurological disease that affects approximately 100,000 people in the UK.  The secondary progressive (SPMS) stage of disease results not in individual attacks but slow, cumulative and irreversible disability affecting walking, balance, vision, cognition, pain control and bladder and bowel function.

Critically, and unlike early disease, there is no proven treatment for the late stage of MS.  This is therefore an urgent and major unmet health need.  MS-SMART will evaluate three drugs (ibudilast, riluzole, amiloride) all of which have shown some promise in MS and in particular in SPMS against placebo (dummy drug).  The assessments will take place over two years and will include clinical and MRI evaluations.

The MAIN criteria for taking part are:
  • Secondary Progressive MS
  • Not on DMT (disease modifying treatment)
  • Still able to walk at least 20 metres (with the support of 2 crutches) or up to 500 metres without help
  • Aged 25-65

The MS-SMART trial is independent research awarded by the NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation Programme (EME) and funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) and managed by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) on behalf of the MRC-NIHR partnership.  The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not those of the MRC, NHS, NIHR, MS Society or the Department of Health.

Are you interested in participating?

MS-SMART will be looking for participants soon.  If you're interested why not let us know? 

A member of the MS-SMART research team will contact you to discuss the trial in more detail.  We will contact you as soon as we can but you won't hear from us immediately.  Progress will be updated on this website.

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We're making on-going modifications to this website.   Last updated: 06-02-2014