Alex, there are known risks with taking any drug, including that miracle drug, aspirin. When Gilenya was first approved, the consensus among so many neuros and patients was they would wait to see how the first wave of use went before switching their therapies. Maybe that was a very wise decision after all.
I am so undecided about what I read on Gilenya. Were those heart deaths really abnormal considering the age range? When we get to a certain age, there is an increase in cardiac fatalities that naturally occur and the Gilenya numbers seem to fit that normal pattern.
The this latest PML case is quite the story - The patient didn't do a lengthy washout period after stopping tysabri and I understand that patient had also been on tysabri for a longer period of time. How will they ever untangle is it was the Gilenya, the Tysabri or both that opened the door for PML to enter?
Argh! Why aren't answers these days just clearly marked? I hate having all these unanswered questions about therapy that is so critical.
-L
Thanks Lu for sharing,
I must say the news has been negative lately on Gilenya so maybe that means the cycle will turn soon. There was a report the other week concerning the number of people who have possibly died while on the drug.
Blessings
Alex
Wow that is interesting. That is one of the first DMD's my neuro talked to me about. Glad I went with Copax. Thanks for sharing.
Paula
I wonder if that means it's even more effective for those under 40? If the average reduction of relapses is 50% and those over 40 are less than 50%, then does that mean that those under 40 would be greater than 50% in order for the average to be 50%?
Seems like every other day I am reading something about Gilenya that makes me glad I wasn't offered it for my treatment.
Dennis