Basel
New long-term data for Gilenya (fingolimod), the only oral therapy approved to treat people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), show a sustained efficacy benefit and a consistent safety profile with up to 4.5 years of continuous treatment. These results, from an extension of the phase III head-to-head TRANSFORMS study, also showed improved efficacy for patients switched to Gilenya from Avonex (interferon-beta-1a IM), a commonly prescribed MS treatment.
“These data further reinforce our confidence in Gilenya’s long-term effectiveness and safety profile. The TRANSFORMS extension study shows that MS patients treated continuously with Gilenya for up to four and a half years demonstrated sustained low levels of clinical and MRI activity. Furthermore, patients who switched to Gilenya from interferon beta-1a IM showed a reduction in relapses and improvements in MRI measures in the extension compared to the core study, said Tim Wright, Global Head of Development, Novartis Pharma.