Safety and Efficacy of Secukinumab Versus Mycophenolate Mofetil in Relapsing Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-associated Disease (SMART) (SMART)

October 29, 2026 updated by: Huanfen Zhou, Chinese PLA General Hospital

Safety and Efficacy of Secukinumab Versus Mycophenolate Mofetil in Relapsing Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-associated Disease (SMART): a Multicenter, Prospective, Randomized, Controlled, Open-label, Blinded-endpoint Phase 3 Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of secukinumab versus mycophenolate mofetil in relapsing myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system mediated primarily by antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG-IgG). Its clinical manifestations include optic neuritis (ON), acute transverse myelitis (ATM), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), and, more rarely, various forms of encephalitis. Data from several cohorts suggest that approximately 50% of adult patients with MOG-IgG relapse within the first two years of disease onset. No drug is currently approved by the FDA for MOGAD, and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is widely used as a conventional first-line maintenance immunosuppressant. Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a key cytokine secreted by T helper 17 (Th17) cells, participates in downstream inflammatory responses, promotes Th17 cell differentiation through a positive feedback loop, and drives the differentiation of B cells into antibody-producing plasma cells. Studies have shown that peripheral blood Th17 cell levels are significantly higher in MOGAD patients, in both the acute and remission phases, than healthy controls. Patients with higher peripheral Th17 cell counts tend to have more severe disease and higher relapse rates, suggesting that IL-17A may contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of MOGAD. Secukinumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against the IL-17A has shown beneficial clinical effects and reduction of the risk of relapses in some patients with relapsing MOGAD in our previous pilot study. However, the efficacy and safety of secukinumab in relapsing MOGAD warrants further clinical trials.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

130

Phase

  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

6 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Key Inclusion Criteria:

Participants must meet all of the following conditions in order to be enrolled:

  1. Participants who are aged ≥12 years at the time of signing Informed Consent Form;
  2. Confirmed diagnosis of MOGAD with a history of ≥1 MOGAD relapse in the 12 months prior to screening or ≥2 attacks in the 24 months prior to screening;
  3. Anti-MOG antibody clear seropositive using Live cell-based assay (Live CBA);
  4. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) ≤7.5
  5. For women of childbearing potential: participants who agree to remain abstinent or use adequate contraception during the treatment period and for at least 3 months after the final dose of the experimental drugs;
  6. Patients must give written informed consent.

Key Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Age<6 years old;
  2. Participants who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or intending to become pregnant during the study or within 3 months after the final dose of the experimental drugs;
  3. Individuals who are allergic to any component of the experimental drug;
  4. Previous exposure to secukinumab or other biologic drug directly targeting IL-17 or IL-17 receptor;
  5. Treatment with tocilizumab, other IL-6/IL6-R inhibitor or JAK inhibitor within 12
  6. weeks or within 5 half-lives of the drug (whichever is longer) prior to Baseline;
  7. Receipt of rituximab or any experimental B-cell depleting agent within 6 months prior screening and B-cells below the lower limit of normal;
  8. Receipt of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) or plasma exchange (PE) within 8 weeks prior to randomization;
  9. Receipt of any of the following within 3 months prior to randomization: Natalizumab (Tysabri®), Methotrexate Mitoxantrone Cyclophosphamide, Eculizumab, Ofacizumab, Satolizumab, or interferon, pegylated interferon, and glatiramer acetate;
  10. Patients treated with cyclophosphamide, tacrolimus, everolimus, hydroxychloroquine, cyclosporine A, azathioprine, sulfasalazine within 6 months prior to Baseline;
  11. Patients treated with leflunomide within 8 weeks of Baseline unless a cholestyramine washout has been performed in which case the patient must be treated within 4 weeks of Baseline;
  12. Any other biologics within 4 weeks or within 5 half-lives of the drug (whichever is longer) prior to Baseline;
  13. Active ongoing diseases which in the opinion of the investigator immunocompromises the patient and/or places the patient at unacceptable risk for treatment with immunomodulatory therapy;
  14. (8) Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive, or hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) positive and peripheral blood HBV DNA positive; Individuals with positive hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and positive HCV RNA; Positive for Treponema pallidum antibody; HIV antibody positive; Cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA positive individuals;
  15. History of ongoing, chronic or recurrent infectious disease or evidence of tuberculosis infection as defined by a positive QuantiFERON TB- Gold Plus test. Patients with a positive test may participate in the study if further work up (according to local practice/guidelines) establishes conclusively that the patient has no evidence of active tuberculosis. If presence of latent tuberculosis is established then treatment according to local country guidelines must be initiated prior to randomization.
  16. Live vaccinations within 6 weeks prior to Baseline or planned vaccination during study participation until 12 weeks after last study treatment administration.
  17. Other researchers have determined laboratory test results that are clinically significant and believe that the patient is not suitable to participate in this clinical trial.
  18. Researchers believe that participants in this clinical trial are not suitable for other reasons.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: secukinumab

Secukinumab 300 mg s.c. (2 x 1 mL pre-filled syringe (PFS) 150 mg secukinumab) at Baseline, Weeks 1, 2, 3, followed by administration every four weeks starting at Week 4. Secukinumab will be given in combination with a protocol-specified prednisone taper regimen.

Secukinumab 300 mg s.c. (2 x 1 mL pre-filled syringe (PFS) 150 mg secukinumab) at Baseline, Weeks 1, 2, 3, followed by administration every four weeks starting at Week 4. Secukinumab will be given in combination with a protocol-specified prednisone taper regimen.

Active Comparator: mycophenolate mofetil

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) 1000 mg p.o. twice daily (Pediatric dose: 500-750 mg/m² body surface area, administered orally in two divided doses). MMF will be given in combination with a protocol-specified prednisone taper regimen.

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) 1000 mg p.o. twice daily (Pediatric dose: 500-750 mg/m² body surface area, administered orally in two divided doses). MMF will be given in combination with a protocol-specified prednisone taper regimen.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
the time to first adjudicated relapse from randomization
Time Frame: Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

An adjudicated relapse was defined by the protocol and positively adjudicated by the independent adjudication committee.

Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Annualized relapse rate during any exposure to the experimental drugs
Time Frame: Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

The adjudicated annualized relapse rate (ARR) was defined as the total number of protocoldefined relapses divided by the corresponding observation period in years. Before randomization, ARR was calculated as the total number of relapses before randomization divided by the time from first relapse to randomization (in days) and then divided by 365 for patients with a disease duration of ≤2 years, or as the number of relapses within the 2 years before randomization divided by 2 for patients with a disease duration of >2 years.

Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study
Relapse-free and steroid-free remission state at EOS visit
Time Frame: 48 Weeks or End of Study

Relapse-free and steroid-free remission state at EOS visit

48 Weeks or End of Study
Change from baseline in dosage of prednisone at EOS visit
Time Frame: Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

Change from baseline in dosage of prednisone at EOS visit

Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study
Change from baseline in EDSS score at EOS visit
Time Frame: Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

Disease-related disability was measured by the EDSS. The EDSS was an ordinal clinical rating scale that ranges from 0 (normal neurologic examination) to 10 (death) in half-point increments. A decrease in score indicates improvement

Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study
Change from baseline in active MRI lesions at EOS visit
Time Frame: Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

active MRI lesions: new Gd-enhancing lesions

Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study
Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), including treatment-emergent serious adverse events (TESAEs)
Time Frame: Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

An AE was any untoward medical occurrence in a participant who received study drug without regard to possibility of causal relationship A SAE was any AE that resulted in death, life threatening, inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization

Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline in Low-contrast visual acuity in affected eyes by optic neuritis at EOS visit
Time Frame: Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

Change from baseline in Low-contrast visual acuity in affected eyes by optic neuritis at EOS visit

Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study
Change from baseline in visual acuity in affected eyes by optic neuritis at EOS visit
Time Frame: Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

om baseline in visual acuity in affected eyes by optic neuritis at EOS visit

Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study
Change from baseline in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) at EOS visit
Time Frame: Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

Change from baseline in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness, measured in μm by optical coherence tomography (OCT)

Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study
Change from baseline in ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) at EOS visit
Time Frame: Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

Change from baseline in ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness at the EOS visit, measured in μm by OCT

Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study
Change from baseline in ganglion cell and serum MOG-LgG titers at EOS visit
Time Frame: Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

Change from baseline in serum MOG-IgG titers measured by live cell-based assay at the EOS visit

Baseline, Up To 48 Weeks or End of Study

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

November 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 15, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 15, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 29, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

November 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 29, 2026

Last Verified

October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • S2026-758-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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