Pill for MS (in the works)

[SiouxJ]

Can't wait for the day we get a pill instead of those damn needles! Just fyi:

ZURICH - Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG has pushed back the start of a late-stage trial of its FTY720 pill for multiple sclerosis after the Food and Drug Administration asked for a safety analysis of the drug’s use in transplant patients. Investors and analysts have been watching the experimental drug’s progress carefully, believing it could be a potential blockbuster seller for Novartis, as well as being one contender in the race to bring the first pill for treating MS to the market.

Promising data
The Phase II trial, involving daily 1.25 mg or 5 mg doses of FTY720, showed the drug was well-tolerated with 92 percent of patients completing the six-month trial.

more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8302233/

[fudge stripe cookays]

1. If only we could trust the FDA.

reprehensor is terrified for me to take anything that's been on the market less than 7 years after reading "Public Citizen."

Nader has essentially told everyone, "If it's been on the market LESS THAN 7 YEARS, DON"T TAKE IT!"

We had a bad experience with Celebrex for r's arthritis, and don't want to get burned by side effects again.

But I'll definitely keep an eye on this one for the future.
FSC

[SiouxJ]

2. Well they've been working on the pill and a nasal spray

since before I was dx'd. I'm not holding my breath at this point anyway. I've gotten used to the needles anyway.

I was supposed to go on the last "latest and greatest" MS drug, Tysabri, and they pulled it from the market right before I started. That was pretty scary. My new Neuro was pushing and pushing it but I was hesitant as it was so new and the whole Vioxx thing was fresh in my mind (I had taken that too!). While I was deciding, two people died while on Tysabri, which had been rushed through FDA approval because it showed such promising results.

Yes, we have to be very careful about trusting these newly "approved" drugs.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Well, That Doesn't Suck, Does It?

It would be SO much more convenient to just take a pill. Especially with having to reconstitute, mix, settle, and inject. Geez, it takes 10 minutes just to take a dose.

Thanks, Sioux. I'll be keeping an eye on this. I'll have to go to the NMSS website.
The Professor

[SiouxJ]

4. It would be nice

I don't have to mix mine anymore. Avonex has come in a pre-mixed syringe for a couple of years now. I think I hated the mixing more than the shot as it took so long. And also, I was always so afraid I'd screw it up and that one shot costs over $200!