Summary
Anti-Thymocyte Globulin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Multiple Sclerosis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Multiple Sclerosis. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Anti-Thymocyte Globulin to Multiple Sclerosis: 2 are currently recruiting; 1 is active or not yet recruiting; 2 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 3 (NCT04047628). The largest enrolment is 200 participants (NCT05832515). Registration activity spans 1997 to 2023. The literature layer holds 4 publications for this pair: 1 Cochrane review and 3 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2010 to 2018. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Multiple Sclerosis ranks 371 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Untreated relapsing MS: ~1 relapse/year; disability accumulates over time in ~85% who convert to secondary progressive MS; spontaneous remission from MS is not possible.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 52.0 (trials 21.0, literature 11.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 2 recruiting, 1 active / not yet recruiting, 2 completed, 3 other |
| Linked publications | 4 (3 clinical trial publications, 1 Cochrane review) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | CD86 |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT04047628 | Best Available Therapy Versus Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant for Multiple Sclerosis (BEAT-MS) 2019 | recruiting | Phase 3 | 156 |
| NCT00716066 | Autologous Stem Cell Transplant for Neurologic Autoimmune Diseases 2008 | active, not recruiting | Phase 2 | 53 |
| NCT00014755 | Phase I Pilot Study of Total-Body Irradiation, Anti-Thymocyte Globulin and Cyclophosphamide Followed By Syngeneic or Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis 1997 | completed | Phase 1 | 35 |
| NCT05832515 | AHSCT With Fludarabine and Cyclophosphamide Based Conditioning Regimes in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis 2020 | recruiting | Phase 1 | 200 |
| NCT04203017 | Fecal Microbiota Transplantation After Autologous HSCT in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis 2019 | terminated | Phase 1 | 20 |
| NCT05078177 | Safety and Efficacy of Intrathecal Rituximab in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis 2020 | status unknown | Phase 1 | 40 |
| NCT05029206 | Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis in Sweden 2021 | completed | Not applicable | 174 |
| NCT05482542 | Optimal Conditioning Regimen for Autologous Transplantation of Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis 2023 | withdrawn | Not applicable | — |
Published literature
- Cochrane review Review of the Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Alemtuzumab and Its Use in Kidney Transplantationvan der Zwan M, Baan CC, van Gelder T et al. · Clinical pharmacokinetics · 2018 · PMID 28669130
- Clinical trial publication Immunoablation and autologous haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation for aggressive multiple sclerosis: a multicentre single-group phase 2 trialAtkins HL, Bowman M, Allan D et al. · Lancet (London, England) · 2016 · PMID 27291994
- Clinical trial publication Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in multiple sclerosis: a phase II trialMancardi GL, Sormani MP, Gualandi F et al. · Neurology · 2015 · PMID 25672923
- Clinical trial publication Anti-thymocyte globulin plus etanercept as therapy for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS): a phase II studyScott BL, Ramakrishnan A, Fosdal M et al. · British journal of haematology · 2010 · PMID 20331464
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target CD86. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Anti-Thymocyte Globulin approved for Multiple Sclerosis?
Anti-Thymocyte Globulin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Multiple Sclerosis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Multiple Sclerosis. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Anti-Thymocyte Globulin in clinical trials for Multiple Sclerosis?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Anti-Thymocyte Globulin to Multiple Sclerosis: 2 are currently recruiting; 1 is active or not yet recruiting; 2 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 3 (NCT04047628). The largest enrolment is 200 participants (NCT05832515). Registration activity spans 1997 to 2023.
What does the evidence show for Anti-Thymocyte Globulin in Multiple Sclerosis?
Anti-Thymocyte Globulin has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Multiple Sclerosis. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target CD86. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.