Tenofovir as a treatment option for multiple sclerosis

Øivind Torkildsen; Kjell-Morten Myhr; Vegard Skogen; Linn Hofsøy Steffensen; Kjetil Bjørnevik

doi:10.1016/j.msard.2020.102569

Tenofovir as a treatment option for multiple sclerosis

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2020 Nov:46:102569. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2020.102569. Epub 2020 Oct 7.

Authors

Øivind Torkildsen¹, Kjell-Morten Myhr², Vegard Skogen³, Linn Hofsøy Steffensen⁴, Kjetil Bjørnevik⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Neuro-SysMed, Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. Electronic address: oivind.fredvik.grytten.torkildsen@helse-bergen.no.
² Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Neuro-SysMed, Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Norway; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
⁴ Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Neurology, University Hospital of North Norway, Norway.
⁵ Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.

PMID: 33049462
DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2020.102569

Abstract

Some antiretroviral medications are also inhibitors of EBV. We describe a patient with highly active MS who was infected with HIV and started HIV-treatment containing tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), a potent inhibitor of EBV lytic reactivation. Her MS was in complete remission during this treatment, and she had new radiological disease activity again after switching to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, a HIV drug with less potent activity against EBV replication. Based on the recently detected mechanism of TDF and TAF, we suggest that further studies on these drugs in MS are warranted.

Keywords: Autoimmune diseases; Hiv; Multiple sclerosis.

Publication types

Letter

MeSH terms

Anti-HIV Agents* / therapeutic use
Female
HIV Infections* / drug therapy
Humans
Multiple Sclerosis* / drug therapy
Tenofovir / therapeutic use

Substances

Anti-HIV Agents
Tenofovir