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

109 randomized controlled trials involving 16,353 participants were analyzed to compare pharmacological and biological treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The study, authored by Shixun Zhou and updated in April 2026, used a Bayesian network meta-analysis to rank interventions on functional decline, respiratory function, and safety outcomes. Results indicate cell therapy combined with neuroprotective agents showed the greatest attenuation of functional decline.

Use Cases

• Ranking treatment efficacy for ALS based on ALSFRS-R and FVC outcomes from the meta-analysis
• Comparing safety profiles of drug classes based on serious adverse event risk ratios
• Informing clinical trial design by identifying heterogeneous treatment effects among enzyme inhibitors
• Supporting systematic review updates with the included trial data and analysis methodology

Strengths

• Analysis is based on 109 randomized controlled trials, providing a substantial evidence base
• Includes data from 16,353 participants, offering significant statistical power
• Employs a formal network meta-analysis methodology with Bayesian ranking (SUCRA)
• Registered with PROSPERO (CRD420251000672), indicating a predefined protocol

Limitations

• The dataset is a 125.1 KB DOCX document, which is a text summary rather than raw structured trial data
• Column-level documentation and sample data are unavailable, limiting direct computational use
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for quantitative modeling

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Systematic review and network meta-analysis of trials from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Web of Science up to February 25, 2025.

Time Range

Trials searched until February 2025; analysis published/updated in 2026.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-24 13:39:38; freshness should be verified

Geography

Likely global, as the search included major international databases, but specific coverage is not stated.