ZURICH (Reuters) - A patient taking Novartis' multiple sclerosis pill Gilenya developed a rare and potentially fatal viral disease, the Swiss drugmaker said on Tuesday, an unexpected setback as it faces growing competition from new oral treatments. Gilenya is one of Novartis' big new drug hopes, growing 66 percent in the second quarter to $468 million. But the drug faces competition from new medicines such as Biogen Idec's Tecfidera. Novartis said it had been informed of a case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in a patient who had been taking Gilenya for MS for seven months. ...




Read the full article...

(From Yahoo Diseases)

Oh my goodness.....scary, scary stuff!

For those "too tired" (and I have been there) to read the link, they are talking about PML.

Apparently there have been other cases of PML in Gilenya patients but it has been attributed to a past history of Tysabri.

The current case does not have a past history of Ty.
ANN

That is scary! I am not a candidate for Gilenya but my neuro and I discussed it and decided it was not an option for me.

Anyhow, in reading the article, I wonder if the patient really had MS. It states, "The course of the underlying neurological disease was rapid with some atypical findings for MS on the MRI scans of the brain and spinal cord, as well as some unusual clinical features," Novartis said in a statement." I'm not sure if it says this was the presentation that led to the patient's dx or if this was the presentation when PML was found. I read this and thought, "Oh no! What if he didn't have MS and they gave him this med for some other neurological disease or something and they ended up with PML." It really would say a lot about getting a proper diagnosis before treatment.

Sorry, but I can't help but think that whenever you roll the dice with nature it is a major gamble. I can't help but think that once you open that door by suppressing the immune system, you leave yourself wide open to all kinds of potential nasties as well as the good that comes with it.

I believe it's a risk/reward scenario. I have chosen to continue Tysabri in spite of being JC+ - for others thinking that Gilenya or all of these other massive drugs don't have a down-side, think of the size of the demon you are dealing with. This isn't a headache - be aware, be realistic - you can't fight a lion with a mouse.

It's a personal decision, sometimes a bad one, most of the time
a good one, with Tysabry. The jury is still out on G & T.

Sally, G&T?
Gin & Tonic? Is there a study for that?

ANN

Idiot!!
Gilenia and TEC

A gin & tonic would work too. It may not suppress our immune systems but could help in other areas of our lives. j/k

I was in the hospital last week for a few days. I went to a local teaching hospital. It was interesting as you have a whole team of drs that come in during morning rounds. The attending was listening to my stomach and asked me if I drank alcohol. I said, "No. Why? Should I start?" In one sense I was serious because they say drinking wine can help with tremors but I also was kind of joking. Anyhow, the interns and residents started cracking up. The attending said that because of the antibiotics I was not going to be allowed to drink alcohol. I knew that as Flagyl and alcohol together can be fatal.

Now, back to the topic . . .It is a crap shoot when it comes to immunosuppresants. Choosing the one that is going to be best for you is a personal decision and one that needs your neurologists input as well as doing your own research. For now, I am not on a DMD. I may have to make the decision to go back on one and will certainly be researching my options so I can make an informed decision.

I feel so bad for the patient and their family. I still question if his/her neurological issues were MS or something else. Did he/she have an infection already and this made it worse? That would be sad.

Personally, I like vodka and tonic

I have respect for the pharma that reported this info...of course, it was a European pharma and not one from the US...wonder if they would be so eager to report this?

I think all docs should test EVERY MS patient for the JC virus before prescribing any DMD.