Fingolimod

A generic equivalent of oral Gilenya (fingolimod) significantly lowers relapse rates, slows disability progression, and works against new lesions developing in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a real-world study in Turkey. Feedback from patients also was favorable, with most being satisfied with the generic treatment…

In this installment of our “Expert Voices” series, Multiple Sclerosis News Today asked Tanuja Chitnis, MD, to answer some of your questions about pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS). Chitnis is a board-certified neurologist specializing in multiple sclerosis-related neuroimmunological disorders. Chitnis’s interest in children with MS led her to create…

Kesimpta (ofatumumab) may be more effective at reducing relapse rates than other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in Japanese adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review of clinical trial data. Although the differences were not statistically significant, the study provided comparative evidence that may help…

Higher COVID-19 Risk Tied to 2 MS Therapies, Even With Vaccination According to this study, people being treated with Ocrevus had 3.6 times the risk of a breakthrough COVID-19 infection compared with people being treated with most other disease-modifying therapies. For those treated with Gilenya, the risk was increased…

Among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), those who are married and have more formal education are more likely to take treatments as recommended, according to a new study from Iran. The study, “Effects of Disease-Modifying Treatments discontinuation in patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A 5…

Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tysabri (natalizumab) were more effective at lowering relapse rates in children with multiple sclerosis (MS) than interferon-beta, according to a recent meta-analysis. Findings like these can be leveraged for better clinical trial design, the researchers wrote. If used to determine “historical” relapse rates that…

Treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) for up to four years was found safe and lowered relapse rates among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the Czech Republic, according to a real-world study called GOLEMS. Older age, lower disability level, and fewer relapses prior to the treatment’s start were all…

For the first time, researchers have brought to light the precise three-dimensional structure of Mayzent (siponimod) as it binds to its molecular target, the sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1). These findings are expected to aid in developing next-generation MS therapeutics with better selectivity for S1P1, enhancing their potency while reducing…

Using a two-step machine learning strategy, researchers have developed an algorithm to predict the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse based on data gleaned from electronic health records. “The two-step machine learning model predicts a patient’s future one-year MS relapse risk with clinically actionable accuracy, comparable to other clinical…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are treated with Mavenclad (cladribine) are less likely to experience a disease relapse than those who are treated with Gilenya (fingolimod), Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), or Aubagio (teriflunomide), according to an analysis of real-world data. The findings were presented at the Americas Committee…

#ACTRIMS2022 – Immune System ‘Reset’ by Stem Cell Transplant At the University of Ottawa, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) has been used to treat people with aggressive MS since the early 2000s, MS News Today‘s Marisa Wexler reports. This study, which reviewed 71 patients during that period, reports…

Reservations at a base lodge have been made, and a starting date is circled on her calendar. MS hiker April Hester is ready to start up the Appalachian Trail in the eastern U.S. It’s always an uphill hike for April, even when the trail is flat. She was diagnosed with…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with weak immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines are more likely to respond successfully to the booster shot if they are receiving an anti-CD20 therapy compared with those on Gilenya (fingolimod), according to a small study in Norway. These early findings suggest that booster shots…

Imaging Brain Metabolites May Help Diagnose, Monitor MS Have you ever heard of magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, or MRSI? I hadn’t until I read this story. It’s a technique that in concept allows a radiologist to see metabolites in the brain. Metabolites are small molecules that are produced during…

Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) appears to have similar benefits to Gilenya (fingolimod) in preventing relapses and the loss of motor function and cognition in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study with real-world data found. The two medications also led to similar findings on MRI scans, including in…

Long-term treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) in routine clinical practice is safe and effective for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a five-year study in Germany of more than 4,000 patients reported. Over time, relapses in the majority of study patients who continued with Gilenya became less common and less severe,…

A decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has upheld the validity of a patent for dosing Novartis’ oral multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Gilenya (fingolimod), the medication’s manufacturer announced. “With this decision, Novartis confirms that it expects no generic versions of Gilenya in the…

Certain treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) — specifically, anti-CD20 antibody therapies and Gilenya (fingolimod) — are likely to reduce the effectiveness of vaccines for COVID-19, according to a new study. “Highlighting groups who have mounted an inadequate vaccine response has already been helpful in guiding who should receive…

A researcher at the University of Houston has received a $100,000 grant to investigate adherence to oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and correlations between adherence patterns and disease outcomes over time. The one-year grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was awarded…

Women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) who suspend their use of fingolimod — sold as Gilenya, among others — to conceive or during the early stages of pregnancy have a significantly higher risk of relapse during and after pregnancy, a new study finds. Stopping fingolimod resulted in a…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have switched to treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) at an earlier stage in their disease in recent years, compared to individuals who switched to the treatment around the time it became available, a new study indicates. The findings suggest “an increased experience in…

Are you being treated with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) and wondering how it might affect the efficacy of an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine? If so, a recent study may provide some clarity. The study, published in Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders, looked at 125 MS patients either being treated with…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) using approved oral disease-modifying therapies generally tolerate the treatments well, with real-world adverse event profiles similar to those seen in clinical trials, an analysis of U.S. data indicates. Results also suggest high adherence to these therapies — meaning patients are usually taking the therapies…

The multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Gilenya (fingolimod) is associated with a 16% greater risk of infections, compared with a placebo or control treatment, according to data from 12 randomized clinical trials. The findings were published in a study, “Incidence and Risk of Infection Associated With Fingolimod in Patients…

The journal JAMA Neurology recently reported that a 78-year-old man with progressive multiple sclerosis died after being diagnosed with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a brain disease. The man, diagnosed with MS about 30 years ago, had been treated for two years with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), and had no previous…

Lipid (fat) molecules can function as chemical couriers, taking messages from tissue to tissue, organ to organ as part of the body’s immune defense guidance system. But in certain diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), the courier service may go awry. One such lipid molecule, called sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P),…

Treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) was more effective than Gilenya (fingolimod) in helping people with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) achieve no evidence of disease activity, a head-to-head study suggested. The study, “BEST-MS: A prospective head-to-head comparative study of natalizumab and fingolimod in active relapsing MS,” was…

Phase 3 Trial of Sativex, Cannabis Extract Treatment for MS Spasticity, Opens in US This is a major step toward making a clinically tested, cannabis-based medication available in the U.S. I’ve always thought that medications containing a THC/CBD combination are useful to lessen some MS symptoms, but the lack…

Adults with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) treated with Tysabri (natalizumab) had fewer new and accumulated lesions, and a lower relapse rate than those treated with Gilenya (fingolimod) for 24 weeks, according to…

Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) are similarly effective at lowering the frequency of relapses and delaying disability progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a real-world study from Switzerland reported. These efficacy measures were also consistent whether patients were new to a disease-modifying therapy (DMT)…