Octopus team publishes article on the trial's design

Clinicians and researchers involved in Octopus have published an article in the journal Neurology. This is one of the first scientific outputs from the trial.

Octopus is the first trial in MS making use of the multi-arm multistage (MAMS) platform design. The goal is to speed up the evaluation of promising drugs against progressive MS by making the trial more efficient. 

The article explains how MS researchers tackled statistical and practical questions to design Octopus, from choosing particular outcome measures to gauge success, to defining how many people would be needed and when.

In addition to reviewing other recent trials in progressive MS, scientists and clinicians used statistical simulations to ensure that the trial would be powerful enough to give sound evidence.

Importantly, this knowledge-gathering was only part of the process. From the beginning, representatives from the MS community were involved in shaping the trial to ensure it meets their needs.

The article is freely available on the Neurology website.