Gilenya (Novartis) decreases brain volume loss in Multiple Sclerosis patients

Gilenya (fingolimod), from Novartis, is the only approved treatment shown to consistently decrease brain volume loss in Multiple Sclerosis patients. Brain volume loss is the best magnetic resonance imaging correlate of long-term disability.

New data presented at the recent 65th Annual Meeting American Academy of Neurology 2013, showed that Gilenya reduced the rate of brain volume loss by about one-third compared to interferon beta-1a IM or placebo in studies with over 3,600 patients with relapsing MS. Patients from a Phase II study who remained on treatment for up to seven years experienced consistently low rates of brain volume loss. Data has also shown significant efficacy with Gilenya in reducing relapses and slowing of six-month disability progression sustained at four years. Nearly half of Gilenya patients were disease-free after one year of treatment and in the pivotal FREEDOMS study, eight out of ten patients on the approved dose remained on treatment at two years.

see Cohen J. et al. "Fingolimod-effect on brain atrophy and clinical/MRI correlations in Three Phase 3 studies - TRANSFORMS, FREEDOMS and FREEDOMS II."- Abstract Presented at AAN, San Diego, March 2013.