Fingolimod, an oral drug under development for treating multiple sclerosis, was shown to be more effective than current treatments in a recent trial.
The trial consisted of over 1,200 individuals receiving either fingolimod or Avonex. On average, the people receiving Avonex had 0.33 relapses per year while the people on fingolimod had between 0.16 and 0.20 relapses (depending on dosage tested).
The full results have not been released yet, but the company that owns the drug, Novartis, will submit for FDA approval by the end of 2009. That means there could be an effective oral MS treatment available in 2010. This is great news to all of us who deal with side effects and injection site reactions on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
The trial consisted of over 1,200 individuals receiving either fingolimod or Avonex. On average, the people receiving Avonex had 0.33 relapses per year while the people on fingolimod had between 0.16 and 0.20 relapses (depending on dosage tested).
The full results have not been released yet, but the company that owns the drug, Novartis, will submit for FDA approval by the end of 2009. That means there could be an effective oral MS treatment available in 2010. This is great news to all of us who deal with side effects and injection site reactions on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
This is great news! I hope this is approved soon!
Wow, can’t wait! I’ve chosen to ignore doctor’s orders and cut my copaxone shots down dramatically (from daily to every 4 or 5 days) because i just couldn’t stand the site reactions anymore. And i was appalled at how dismissive teva and my doctor were of my side effects. So far, my MS has been manageable, but i recognize that i’m dancing with the devil here by cutting back. Oral drugs can’t come soon enough!!!
Lisa – If you’re taking Copaxone only every 4 or 5 days, it probably has no chance to be effective and you might as well not be taking it at all I suspect. The new thinner needles might make a difference for you, and the sting should only last a few minutes. The key is making sure you effectively rotate your injection locations.
There are so many people out there with MS who need to be on a drug like Copaxone but can’t afford it or do not have drug coverage, and there you are, wasting it on a dosage every 4 or 5 days. Yeah, the site reactions are terrible, unbearable most days even, but suck it up buttercup. Think of the people who need to be on it, but can’t, while you waste away your privilege of having access to Copaxone.
The decision to take or not take any disease modifying medication is highly personal and requires consideration of a number of factors. One is those factors IS NOT whether others have access to the same treatments. No one has a right to stand on a soapbox and shame another person for reaching a different treatment decision than themselves.
I have been on Copaxone for at least two years, and I have not seen any significant change in my MS. Some days I can walk for a little while in the morning–then I go to my electric scooter. I look forward to this new MS med, and pray that my Doctor will approve it for me when the time comes Please let me know when it will be avaiable.
I was on Fingolimod (in currently active study) for 3 months and experienced worsening of symptoms and side effects of horrible depression and anxiety…take all this hoopla about this drug with a grain of salt. I am currently on Copaxone and am relatively symptom free in the past 9 months.
I have been on REBIF for 2 years and the side effects have gotten progressively worse over time. I have gone from okay it’s time to take my injection to oh man I have to take an injection. I will talk my doctor into the pill when it gets approved. I will work any issues as long as I don’t have to wear long shorts anymore to hide the bruises. It looks like I’m an abuse victim. The day of approval will be a great day for many of us.
My full support to LisaB. If more of us could slam doors on painful ineffective company/neorologue pushed treatments increasing our sufferings, MS treatments might have improved (I assure readers I know what I am talking about concerning several of these “treatments”).
I had a really sudden and harsh intro to MS. I couldn’t stay out of the hospital till I got on Rebif. It was like turning a corner. I get chills and aches now and then, and injection marks, but I can walk, talk, swallow, and be independent. I get it through the company patient assistance program. They cover what my ins doesn’t. Anyone who can’t afford it should check into that angle with their neurologist. Mine got me signed into the Rebif program.
This day cannot come soon enough! I have been on Rebif for about 3 months and I am having a hard time with the injections. My fear of needles is still prevailing, but I have a wonderful husband to help administer my shots. It will be nice to not have to stop everything to get the meds I need to keep my MS at bay. Hip Hip Hooray!
I was on Avonex for 8 years. My adverse reactions increased over time and I was finally losing 3-4 days a week and recovering just in time for the next injection. However, it was working and I was loathe to stop. My doctor and family finally convince me to try Copaxone to raise my quality of life because the adverse reactions are much more limited.
It’s true, I did not (and do not) have the side affects on Copaxone that I had on Avonex and my quality of life has increased dramatically. I’ve been on Copaxone for 3 years now and have had only a few significant exacerbations.
I went through a period of time during which I just could not bring myself to do the injection everyday. It was a daily reminder of the further disability I was trying to prevent! And I so believed in Avonex.
Over time, however, I began to feel guilty that I had access to Copaxone and was choosing NOT to take it because I was allowing myself to be negatively reminded about the disability I was trying to prevent. I thought of all the people who didn’t have access – I remembered maxing out credit cards at the beginning of my Avonex treatments because it was so expensive every month. I also thought about my kids, my husband, everyone in my life, and how I was not doing everything I could to stay healthy for as long as I can. I realized that I needed to view the injection positively – it would prevent any further disability!! How wonderful that I have this treatment!
I am truly not trying to guilt anyone into giving themselves daily injections if they don’t want to – I certainly didn’t! My comment is just to illustrate the thought processes I went through to get to where I am today.
Less disability to everyone, on treatment or not!!!
As soon as I was diagnosed (5 years ago), my neuro started me on Betaseron.
I am always “the strong one”. I have a high tolerance for pain (2 kids delivered without ANY drugs). Yet, I personally, CANNOT deliver the shot. It is not a pain issue, it is psychological for me. However, insomnia and the anxiety of delivering that injection was nearly as disruptive to my life as MS itself. Yes, I still had the anxiety if my husband delivered the injection. As I said, it was all psychological.
I tried Tysabri, but had to discontinue treatment after my neuro noticed a slightly elevated white cell count. Now I am on IvIg. I am anxiously awaiting an oral drug.