
IS ANYONE ON NOVANTRONE
IS ANYONE ON NOVANTRONE

Novatrone
Novantrone
novantrone
Anybody Doing Novantrone?
- better2gether
- Family Elder
- Posts: 188
- Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2004 3:00 pm
DJ FDA, Serono Warn Of Cardiac Risk From MS Drug's Use
DJ FDA, Serono Warn Of Cardiac Risk From MS Drug's Use >SRA
05/24/2005
Dow Jones News Services
By Jennifer Corbett Dooren
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The Food and Drug Administration warned health-care professionals and consumers Tuesday of the risk of heart damage from a drug made by Swiss-based Serono SA (SRA) used to treat multiple sclerosis.
The FDA added a boxed warning to the drug, Novantrone, which discusses the cardiac risks. The FDA posted the new label and a letter from Serono to health-care professionals and consumers to its Web site Tuesday.
In its letter, Serono said congestive heart failure can occur in patients taking Novantrone during therapy or for "months to years after termination of therapy." The company said patients need to be tested for heart problems before each dose of Novantrone. The drug is administered about four times a year. Patients with MS shouldn't receive more than 8 to 12 injections of the drug.
The company said it has received reports of heart damage caused by Novantrone occurring early on in treatment. The company didn't immediately return a call for comment.
Novantrone was approved by the FDA to treat chronic MS, or relapsing MS, in 2000. The drug is a chemotherapy agent and is also used to treat cancer. Most chemotherapy agents have a risk of heart damage. MS is a progressive disease that affects the spinal cord and brain and involves damage to nerves that control muscles and vision.
The label also updated information about an increased risk of developing treatment-related leukemia, a blood cancer. According to a study of breast-cancer patients being treated with Novantrone, they had a 1.6% increased risk of developing acute myelogenous leukemia at 10 years. Serono said health-care professionals need to strictly adhere to existing white-blood-cell count monitoring recommendations to patients being treated with Novantrone.
-By Jennifer Corbett Dooren, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9294; jennifer.corbett@dowjones.com.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
05-24-05 1651ET
- Brian
- Getting to Know You...
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:00 pm
- Location: Orlando, FL
- Contact:
Novantrone/Copaxone Combo
I have seem to take better to Copaxone than Betaseron (which was the first drug I took after my dx 2/2002).
Be well everyone!
- Brian
- Getting to Know You...
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:00 pm
- Location: Orlando, FL
- Contact:
With Betaseron, I really did not have any flu-like symptoms or even site injection reaction. With Copaxone, I still am not getting any flu-like symptoms, just injection site reaction.
With Novantrone, I felt extremely tired right from the first injection. I think some of it was physcosomatic (sp).
Just Started Novantrone
I had my first Novantrone infusion on 6/3 (exactly one week ago.) Want to report that for me it's been smooth sailing so far. I slept like Rip Van Winkle the next day, but no nausea or lingering fatigue. From what I've read, this seems to be a drug that people have distinctly individual reactions to, even more so than the CRABS.
Before their first treatment, many people worry about making it home before they start to feel sick and need to hit the bed. I went to the appointment by myself at 2:30, then went back to work which included an evening appointment that lasted til 9PM. I completely forgot that I'd had it done.
- Brian
- Getting to Know You...
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:00 pm
- Location: Orlando, FL
- Contact:
I still wonder if Provigil can give me more energy. Have you tried it?
Stay well,
Brian
I eat like a champ too, but I am NOT happy about it!
I've heard positive things about Provigil. The only energy drug I've tried was Cylert way back in the beginning, and it bothered my stomach. For the most part (knock on wood) I don't have fatigue issues. I don't know how I'd do in Florida though.
My energy has been great ever since the first weekend after the infusion, but now that I'm 12 days out, I'm getting kind of ragged. They warned me about this, since blood counts are at a low.
- Brian
- Getting to Know You...
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:00 pm
- Location: Orlando, FL
- Contact:
Brian
Hope your last infusion turns out to be the one to break the pattern of feeling rotton.
Best of luck to us all.