Network Meta-Analysis of ALS Therapies: Efficacy and Safety from 109 Trials

A 2025 network meta-analysis synthesizing data from 109 randomized controlled trials involving 16,353 participants with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The dataset, authored by Shixun Zhou and published on figshare in 2026, compares the efficacy and safety of pharmacological and biological therapies using Bayesian statistical methods.

Use Cases

• Ranking therapeutic interventions for ALS based on efficacy metrics like ALSFRS-R decline mentioned in the description
• Comparing safety profiles of drug classes based on serious adverse event risk data
• Identifying promising specific agents, such as masitinib or talampanel, for further clinical investigation
• Assessing heterogeneity in treatment effects across different classes like enzyme inhibitors

Strengths

• Includes data from 109 randomized controlled trials, providing a broad evidence base
• Covers 16,353 participant records, offering substantial statistical power for analysis
• Employs a Bayesian network meta-analysis methodology, allowing for comparative effectiveness ranking
• Reports on multiple clinical outcomes including functional decline, respiratory function, and mortality

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Substantial heterogeneity was reported among some intervention classes, which may affect generalizability

Provenance

Source

Systematic review and network meta-analysis published on figshare.

Collection Method

Data extracted from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Web of Science up to February 25, 2025, following PRISMA guidelines.

Time Range

Trials included up to February 2025.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-24 13:39:33; freshness should be verified

Geography

Global (trials from international sources).