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Bump.

Well, for those who were actually following this thread in hopes of gleaning it for insight and advice for the new oral MS med options...here's today's news: http://www.thisisms.com/ftopict-16996.html

Cladribine will no longer be one of those oral MS med options; Merck is withdrawing it worldwide.
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euphoniaa wrote:Bump.

Well, for those who were actually following this thread in hopes of gleaning it for insight and advice for the new oral MS med options...here's today's news: http://www.thisisms.com/ftopict-16996.html

Cladribine will no longer be one of those oral MS med options; Merck is withdrawing it worldwide.
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If you read the marketing slant to the trials, Cladribine was the new up and comer oral drug. Now it's being pulled! Hmmm.

Harry

euphoniaa wrote:

bromley wrote: Reduction in Annual Relapse Rate first. Reduction in Disability Progression second.

1. BG12 53% 38%
2. Cladribine 58% 33%
3. Fingolimod 54% 30%
4. Laquinimod 23% 36%
5. Teriflunomide 32% 30%

Please remember that all agents are associated with particular side-effects and other attributes; hence the decision on which one is more appropriate for a particular person will require some careful thought. Individualised Medicine!

Here's a bit more info for your list, in case others are as brain ravaged as I am. It helped me to know the names, because Cladribine kept coming up as an "injection" rather than an oral med when I tried to learn more online.

Please - feel free to correct this info.

1. BG12 53% 38%
(BG-12 (dimethyl fumerate)
(Parent company: Biogen Idec – Oral med)

2. Cladribine 58% 33%
(Oral experimental MS med – Movectro)
(Injection version for leukemia - Brand Names - Leustatin® or Livak in Europe)

3. Fingolimod 54% 30%
(Brand Name - Gilenya® - Available oral MS med from Novartis)

4. Laquinimod 23% 36%
(experimental oral MS med from Active Biotech and Teva)

5. Teriflunomide 32% 30%
(Oral MS med - research sponsored by Sanofi-Aventis )

Yes, Harry, as stated earlier in the thread, Cladribine had the best "Reduction in Annual Relapse Rate" of the oral MS meds.

Yes, Harry, as stated earlier in the thread, Cladribine had the best
"Reduction in Annual Relapse Rate" of the oral MS meds.

Now that is VERY interesting. The "best" results, which come from the data provided by Merck, show how great the drug is yet the FDA doesn't seem to want to believe their data or perhaps is concerned about the incidents of cancer. Merck obviously decided that the extra cost for more trials would be too great and/or the data they had wouldn't satisfy the FDA. So I guess profit levels won out easily over possible great results for MS patients. Why am I not surprised!

Harry

Hi Becia,

I am on Cladribine and have taken my first 5 day course. As you are probably aware Merck has with drawn the drug from the market and no new people will be able to get on it now

I am just hoping that for those of us already on it that we will be able to continue our two year course of treatment. Merck is in discussion with the TGA about this at present.

I found taking Cladribine really easy with almost no side effects. I did have very mild nausea for the first night and headaches for the rest of the week but that is all.

I am very hopeful that if I can keep taking it, it will have a positive affect on the MS. The clinical trials certainly showed good results with a 58% reduction in relapses and a 58% reduction in progression as measured by the EDS

Cheers,

brog