MS Fingolimod oral treatment is marketed under the brand name Gilenya by its manufacturer, Novartis. It was a landmark approval because at the time, Multiple Sclerosis Fingolimod therapy became the first oral treatment approved and marketed in the United States for relapsing forms of MS. Then in 2011, the Swiss agency responsible for drug approval (the equivalent to the FDA) gave MS Fingolimod treatment the green light in that country for the relapsing-remitting form of the affliction. A few months later, similar approval was given in Europe. Fingolimod seems to enhance the myelination and axonal protection of the nerve cells in oral dosing. It is the destruction of the myelin sheath that causes the real damage caused by MS so this bears further study but is promising. MS Fingolimod oral use also seems to have the potential to reduce neurodegeneration and promote endogenous repair of the Central Nervous System. It should be noted that there are no treatments purporting to produce remyelination.
Multiple Sclerosis Fingolimod oral treatment is welcomed by patients
Until then for patients with MS, intravenous or injection treatments were the only options available for treatment. It is so cumbersome and inconvenient, many patients stopped after some time, preferring the relapses or even the debilitation symptoms to the drudgery of the never ending injections and trips to the doctors or the clinic. Quality of life suffered. Multiple Sclerosis Fingolimod oral treatment may change that for those that can pay the expensive cost.
Second only to trauma, MS neurologically disables more people worldwide than any for any other reason. And it affects people at a relatively young age in many cases, so finding a treatment that people will stay on for the long term is of vital importance. It afflicts women at twice the rate of men, with the most common form being relapsing-remitting MS. MS Fingolimod oral treatment reduces both the relapse frequency as well as the lesion numbers seen on MRI when it does relapse. And while Multiple Sclerosis Fingolimod therapy does show a immunomodulatory effect altering the course of the disease, it does not reverse any damage already caused. It is given once-daily and can be taken at home, thus offering an important benefit over drugs administered by injection.
Side effects
Side effects are not that much different than other treatment, and must be considered as part of the decision to proceed with Multiple Sclerosis Fingolimod oral treatment. Shortness of breath, Diarrhea, enzyme elevation in the liver, Bronchitis (severe), Macular edema, and possible herpes infection are commonly reported.
