New Warnings About Two MS Disease-Modifying Drugs

The decision to take any of the approved multiple sclerosis (MS) drug therapies can be a difficult one for anyone. All drugs come with the risk of side effects, and disease-modifying drugs for MS are no exception. I often read comments on social media by those who have decided not to take MS medications berating those who do. But I believe this is a personal decision, to be made with a person’s family and doctors. Most people with MS do take disease-modifying drugs and do so with varied levels of success. Some eventually stop a drug or switch to another, either because of a lack of positive effects or because of bothersome side effects. News published in the last week or so has brought to light a new potential side effect of the drug Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and announced a new warning on the label of Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate). New Side Effect of Lemtrada Noted In correspondence published in the February 2017 issue of Lancet Neurology, German researchers reported on two individuals who had developed multiple new brain lesions after receiving treatment with Lemtrada. Lemtrada is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of relapsing forms of MS. Because it is known to have some serious side effects, it is generally reserved for people who have previously tried and had an inadequate response to two or more other MS drugs. Both patients improved after receiving plasmapheresis, in one case, and the drug Rituxan (rituximab), in the other. The rese...
Source: Life with MS - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: multiple sclerosis drug trial MS in the news MS treatment trevis gleason Source Type: blogs