Could an allergy pill and diabetes drug fix MS nerve damage?
NCT ID NCT05131828
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This completed Phase 2 trial tested whether combining two common drugs—metformin (for diabetes) and clemastine (an antihistamine)—can help repair the protective lining of nerve cells in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The 70 participants continued their usual MS treatments while taking the combo or a placebo for 24 weeks. Researchers measured changes in nerve signals to see if the drugs promote repair.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- metformin and clemastine combination
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a treatment that repairs nerve damage in multiple sclerosis, potentially slowing or reversing disability progression.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial (70 people) focused on measuring nerve signals, not clinical improvement. The drugs may not show a clear benefit, and results may not apply to all MS patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
70 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Mar 2022
- Finished
-
Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
25 to 50 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Participant is willing and able to give written informed consent for participation in the trial; * Male or female, aged between 25 and 50 years (inclusive) at time of signing informed consent form (ICF); * Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis as per the McDonald 2017 criteria (Thompson et al., 2018), including an MRI brain satisfying the McDonald 2017 criteria; * VEP P100 latency in at least one eye of ≥118 ms; * Kurtzke EDSS 0.0-6.0; * At the time of screening being treated with a stable dose for at least 6 months of a category 1 multiple sclerosis DMT or for at least 2 years with a category 2 DMT; * Able (in the Investigator's opinion) and willing to comply with all trial requirements. Exclusion Criteria: * Female participants who are pregnant, lactating or planning pregnancy during the course of the trial; * Female participants of child-bearing potential whom are unwilling or unable to use one highly effective method of contraception during the trial (as outlined in section 11.11). For the purpose of this document, a woman is considered of childbearing potential, i.e. fertile, following menarche and until post-menopausal unless permanently sterile. Permanent sterilisation methods include hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy and bilateral oophorectomy. A postmenopausal state is defined as no menses for 12 months without an alternative medical cause; * Male participants who are unwilling or unable to use contraception during and for 3 months after the trial; * Participants whom have received an investigational drug (including investigational vaccines) or used an invasive investigational medical device within 4 weeks before the screening assessment or is currently enrolled in an interventional investigational trial; * Retinal nerve layer thickness on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) \<70 μm in the qualifying eye; * A clinical episode of optic neuritis in the qualifying eye within the 2 years preceding screening; * Any unlicensed treatment of multiple sclerosis; * Any concomitant use of oxybutynin, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), hypnotics or high-dose opiates at screening; * Significant renal impairment (eGFR \<60 mL/min/1.73 m2); * Screening liver function (alanine aminotransferase, ALT) value greater than 3 times the upper limit of normal; * Known hypersensitivity to metformin or clemastine (or other arylalkylamine antihistamines) or any of the excipients of these products; * People taking medication for Diabetes Mellitus at screening; * People with a diagnosis of epilepsy; * People with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, total lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption; * Concurrent use of 4-aminopyridine or fampridine; * Known contraindication(s) to MRI scanning procedures; * History of prostatic hypertrophy; * History of major ophthalmologic disease or concomitant ophthalmologic disorders including glaucoma, macular degeneration, and severe myopia (\>-7 Diopters); * History of stenosing peptic ulcer or pyloroduodenal ulceration; * History of significant cardiac conduction block or decompensated heart failure; * History of acute porphyria; * People with a history of alcohol or other recreational drug misuse within the 6 months preceding screening; * People unable to avoid alcohol drinks for the course of the trial; * Vitamin B12 deficiency as defined as B12 levels of \< 150 pg/ml measured at screening; * Any other significant disease, disability or investigation result which, in the opinion of the Investigator, may either put the participant at risk, or may influence the result of the trial, or the participant's ability to participate in the trial.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Multiple sclerosis are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Addenbrooke's Hospital
Cambridge, United Kingdom
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Under-the-Skin MS drug: can a shot replace an IV drip?
- Can a common antihistamine boost multiple sclerosis treatment?
- Can exercise rebuild muscle and balance in MS?
- Can diet ease the crushing fatigue of multiple sclerosis?
- One-Time CAR-T infusion tested against progressive MS
- Can PET scans reveal hidden brain inflammation in MS?