News about Gilenya is making the rounds.
Gilenya was approved in the US in 2010 for the treatment of a relapsing form of MS, and is currently used by approximately 70,000 patients. Gilenya has been subject to reports of new safety risks since its approval. In May 2012, FDA issued a safety warning and instituted new contraindications for Gilenya after it investigated reports that several patients had died soon after taking the drug.
From the FDA site:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed its evaluation of a report of a patient who died after the first dose of multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya (fingolimod). The agency also has evaluated additional clinical trial and postmarket data for Gilenya, including reports of patients who died of cardiovascular events or unknown causes. FDA could not definitively conclude that Gilenya was related to any of the deaths (see Data Summary, below). However, based on its reevaluation of the data, FDA remains concerned about the cardiovascular effects of Gilenya after the first dose. Data show that, although the maximum heart rate lowering effect of Gilenya usually occurs within 6 hours of the first dose, the maximum effect may occur as late as 20 hours after the first dose in some patients
The FDA also said it recommends cardiovascular monitoring be extended past six hours after the first dose for patients “who are at higher risk for or who may not tolerate” a slowdown in the rate at which their heart beats (bradycardia).
Now, on August 29th, this news:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting the public that a patient in Europe diagnosed with possible multiple sclerosis (MS) has developed a rare and serious brain infection after taking the drug Gilenya (fingolimod). This is the first case of this disease, called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy or PML, reported following the administration of Gilenya to a patient who had not previously received Tysabri (natalizumab), an MS drug associated with a higher risk of PML.
Now, on August 29th, this news:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting the public that a patient in Europe diagnosed with possible multiple sclerosis (MS) has developed a rare and serious brain infection after taking the drug Gilenya (fingolimod). This is the first case of this disease, called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy or PML, reported following the administration of Gilenya to a patient who had not previously received Tysabri (natalizumab), an MS drug associated with a higher risk of PML.
Patients should not stop taking Gilenya without first discussing any questions or concerns with their health care professionals. We are providing this alert while we continue to investigate the PML case, and we are working with Gilenya’s manufacturer, Novartis, to obtain and review all available information about this occurrence. We will communicate our final conclusions and recommendations after our evaluation is complete.
PML is a rare and serious brain infection caused by the John Cunningham (JC) virus that damages the fatty covering of the brain called myelin. Myelin is essential for the proper functioning of nerves in the white matter of the brain. PML usually causes death or severe disability. The JC virus is a common virus that is harmless in most people but can cause PML in people who have weakened immune systems. Some medications, including Gilenya, can weaken the immune system.
Gilenya is used to treat relapsing forms of MS, a nervous system disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. MS is thought to affect more than 2 million people worldwide. The drug was approved for use in the United States in September 2010. Novartis reports that approximately 71,000 patients worldwide have been treated with Gilenya.
The patient who developed PML received nearly eight months of Gilenya treatment before being diagnosed with PML. The patient had been treated with interferon beta-1a and azathioprine for one month before initiating Gilenya treatment; those medications were stopped when Gilenya was started. The patient also received multiple courses of intravenous corticosteroids for several months before and during Gilenya treatment. The diagnosis was made based on clinical symptoms and the detection of JC viral DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid. Gilenya treatment was stopped.
