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Breaking News Oral Medications for MS |
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New Information about Oral Medication to Treat MS
There is much to be excited about with recent news published January 20, 2010 in the New England Journal of Medicine (http://content.nejm.org/). You will find three articles which detail results from the Phase 3 studies of Novartis' Fingolimod (FTY720) and EMD Serono's Cladribine and an editorial by Dr. William M. Carroll, MB, BS, MD, FRACP.
Published Articles from New England Journal of Medicine:
New treatments for MS, especially oral agents, elicit many questions from patients and their loved ones as well as from the professional community. As this knowledge takes its place in advising clinical practice, we will provide you with additional information, press releases and interviews with the investigators of the studies and the insights and the expert opinions of our colleagues and CMSC members.
Dr. Mark Freedman, BSc, MSc, MD, CSPQ, FRCPC, a professor of medicine (Neurology)and a director at Ottawa Hospital MS Clinic, has stated ,“An effective alternative to injectable medicines for the treatment of multiple sclerosis has long been sought and we now have not one, but at least two products that seem ready for the market. Both of these agents appear to be highly effective at controlling disease activity in MS with good tolerability and minimal risks. One, fingolimod, has even been shown to be more effective than at least one of the current day injectable interferon-beta regimens. We welcome the arrival of these oral agents, especially for those patients who have become intolerant of injections or simply have been averse to using injection medicines. Long term efficacy and especially safety have not been established for these two drugs, which means that patients who are well controlled on today’s medicines should not be considering a switch only out of convenience.”
Dr. Jeffery Cohen, MD, professor, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, and director of the Clinical Neuroimmunology Fellowship at the Mellen Center for MS Treatment and Research has commented that, "We can anticipate press interviews from the Principal Investigators of the Fingolimod trial and Clarity's study of Cladribine." He tells us these phase 3 studies are generating much response because both Novartis and Serono's products in development show a magnitude of benefit comparable to the disease modifying therapies currently on the market for treating MS. Both products show they are well tolerated although each have similar but rare safety concerns. Of special interest to the MS world is that these are oral preparations.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 21 January 2010 )
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CMSC Online 