Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) may occur during therapy with natalizumab (anti-α4-integrin monoclonal antibody (mAb)) and efalizumab (anti-CD11a mAb), but no cases have been reported to date with vedolizumab (anti-α4β7 mAb).
To better understand the relationship between the JCV life cycle and PML pathology, we studied autopsy brain tissue from a 70-year-old psoriasis patient on the integrin alpha-L inhibitor efalizumab following a ~2 month clinical course of PML.
Interest in pathogenesis of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) followed the observation of the high risk for the disease in HIV infection and the recent observation of an association with a variety of newer therapeutic modalities, e.g., natalizumab, an α4β1 integrin inhibitor, and efalizumab, an anti-CD11a monoclonal antibody.