Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Some studies have suggested that drugs used to treat diabetes could be beneficial for people living with MS. As an example, findings from recent research in rodents indicated that metformin promotes nerve repair.
Metformin is inexpensive and a well-tolerated therapy for normalizing blood glucose in people with diabetes, and so widely used in the UK. Our aim is to test the hypothesis that metformin slows onset of, or prevents MS, using UK primary care data.
We propose comparing people with type 2 diabetes who are prescribed metformin to similar people without prescriptions for metformin. We will compare how many people were diagnosed with MS in each group. This study will help us better understand if metformin, or related treatments, could be effective for reducing the risk of the disease.
Researchers are increasingly interested in repurposing already available drugs for neurodegenerative diseases. Metformin is a widely prescribed first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes. It is an inexpensive, generally well tolerated and effective medication for normalizing hyperglycemia in individuals with obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Here, we plan to estimate the effect of initiating metformin on the risk of MS using Electronic Health Records (EHRs) from the United Kingdom (UK). We will apply Target Trial Emulation methodology to answer our comparative questions. This work will also contribute to the methodological literature by improving statistical methods for implementing target trial emulations.
Incidence of Multiple Sclerosis.
Michael Martinec - Chief Investigator - Roche
Samantha Wilkinson - Corresponding Applicant - Roche
Erwan Muros-Le Rouzic - Collaborator - Roche
Iori Namekawa - Collaborator - Roche
Isaac Gravestock - Collaborator - Roche
James Overell - Collaborator - Roche
Li Su - Collaborator - University of Cambridge
Lynette Foo - Collaborator - Roche
Shaun Seaman - Collaborator - University of Cambridge
HES Admitted Patient Care;HES Outpatient;ONS Death Registration Data;Patient Level Index of Multiple Deprivation;Practice Level Index of Multiple Deprivation