MS Society Response to Trial Results of Novartis Multiple Sclerosis Oral Therapy FTY-720 (fingolimod)

LONDON - In response to today’s results from pharmaceutical firm Novartis on its oral multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy FTY-720 (fingolimod), the MS Society has released the following statement:

MS Society Head of Research, Dr Lee Dunster, said: “The availability of oral therapies will herald a new dawn for people with MS and if trial results satisfy the regulator there could be a real alternative to inconvenient and unpleasant injections.”

Notes to Editors:

Oral therapies in MS

- There are currently two oral therapies in development for MS. - Fingolimod and cladribine (Merck Serono) both show similar reduction in relapse rates and disability progression. Both will apply for license this year. - Side effects of the two drugs vary. For more information on the drugs and their history in trails, see www.mssociety.org.uk/research/news_in_research/research_news/fty_and_cladribi.html

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MS and the MS Society

- The MS Society (www.mssociety.org.uk) is the UK’s largest charity dedicated to supporting everyone affected by multiple sclerosis (MS), providing respite care, an award-winning freephone helpline (0808-800-8000), specialist MS nurses and funding more than 80 vital MS research projects in the UK. - MS is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting young adults and an estimated 100,000 people in the UK have MS. - MS is the result of damage to myelin - the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system - which interferes with messages between the brain and the body. For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern. - Symptoms range from loss of sight and mobility, fatigue, depression and cognitive problems. There is no cure and few effective treatments.

Source: Multiple Sclerosis Society

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