Ugly on an ape? Great expression Sally!

I once read that recent college grads get paid thousands of dollars to sit in rooms coming up with names of drugs for pharmaceutical companies all day long.

They all seem random. I did like the Gilenia name, though. It made me think of jello, geraniums, and something uplifting! Much better than sticking with fingolimod.

Here is the new Tecfidera website _ already up and going

http://tecfidera.com/?utm_source=goo...%7C20563888507

I'm telling you...it sounds like the name of a dinosaur. Teridactyl. Triceratops. Tecfidera.

Biogen Idec will price it’s new multiple sclerosis pill, Tecfidera, at a wholesale acquisition cost of $54,900 per patient per year. The medicine will distributed, stocked, and available to patients “on or around” this coming Monday, the company says.

“We think this price represents a solid value to the MS community and demonstrates our commitment to ensuring patient access,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.




I say AAARRRGGGHHH.(note to self - better start saving now) Solid value? College a year for 2 kids cheaper.

“We think this price represents a solid value to the MS community and demonstrates our commitment to ensuring patient access,” a company spokesperson said in a statement"

Holy Pete! A solid value??? For whom??? Sounds a bit like highway robbery to me...

they have a $10.00/month copay assistance program, no income limits -

http://tecfidera.com/tecfidera-ms-support.html#co-pay

Alas- folks on Medicaid, Medicare DoD etc are not eligible

I hope the damnable evil stuff works for, at least,
some of you.

Big Pharma has us MSers over such an ugly barrel,
it ticks me off..

I get all my shots through Medcos specialty pharmacy-Accredo. I just talked to them 5 mins ago and they will have the drug around April 10. He said it may be the same price as my shots or perhaps a little more so my insurance company should cover it.
I asked him if I should double check with my Blue Cross/ Blue Shield and he said this has happened so fast that they won't even know yet if its on their list. He told me to have my doc write a script, fax it to Medco/Accredo and let them take it from there.
The pharmacist said there are only two common side affects with this drug: One is flushing which can be controlled with an aspirin just before you take the med and slight tummy upset which can be taken care of with chewing a TUMS.
The pharmacist was very excited about the release of this drug for M.S. and told me he thought I would be very happy with it.
I am so excited I can hardly sit still.
He told me to just stay on the shots until everything is in order with the new pill. He said the safety record with this drug is better than the shot I'm on and halts MS progression better too. YAY!!!!!
And yes, the drug is a dinosaur.....its been around for YEARS treating psoriasis!

I'm happy for all of those people who get to go off their shots. That's great news!

But one thing I don't understand about this drug (which is known as dimethyl fumarate) is why it's not considered a poison? Dimethyl fumarate is also a biocide -- meaning it was applied to shoes and furniture to prevent mold growth. Hundreds of people got terrible rashes and allergic reactions from a load of couches that were made in China and elsewhere a few years ago.

As a result the European Union banned use of it in consumer products since 1998 and banned imports since 2009.

Wikipedia states "Dimethyl fumarate has been found to be an allergic sensitizer at very low concentrations, producing eczema that is difficult to treat. Concentrations as low as 1 ppm may produce allergic reactions.[40] There are only a handful of equally potent sensitizers."

So why would I ingest an anti-mold chemical? What makes BG-12 different than its biocidal form?

Dimethyl fumarate has been used for years in Europe for psoriasis treatment.

I think the reason it is different is probably for a similar reason as why Botox can be used for all sorts of things like reducing wrinkles, hyperhydrosis, migraines, etc. and also happens to be a super deadly poison - it has to do with the way you distill and treat it.

We can do many things with chemical compounds that allow them to be used for multiple purposes, and I'm certainly gonna be looking into this stuff because after 6 weeks of Copaxone I'm already sick of injecting myself!

The website suggests people on these government programs contact MS Active Source, Biogen's patient support program. I've got the phone number handy, and will be calling my neuro's nurse as soon as I can.

Sparky- please let me know (and others) if they can offer aid to those of us getting Medicare, etc.