Gilenia(R)* (FTY720) shown to reduce relapse rates regardless of treatment history

Read the whole press release

An excerpt of the part about the TRANSFORMS trial:

Of the 1153 patients who participated in the one-year TRANSFORMS study, 1027 (89%) elected to enter the one-year extension study. Patients in the extension study who also received Gilenia in the core study remained on their original dose (0.5 mg or 1.25 mg), while patients who had received intramuscular interferon beta-1a (Avonex^®) were randomized to receive Gilenia 0.5 mg or 1.25 mg[2].

Patients who received Gilenia 0.5 mg for two years experienced a consistently low ARR at year one (0.16) and at year two (0.18). These patients also retained a significant reduction in relapses and MRI brain lesions over two years compared to the group originally randomized to intramuscular interferon beta-1a and later switched to Gilenia[2].

In the subset of patients who received intramuscular interferon beta-1a during year one and Gilenia 0.5 mg during year two, the annual relapse rate in year two was reduced by 31% and the number of new or newly enlarged T2 lesions in the brain, a marker of disease activity, was reduced by 67% in the second year[2].

These findings on efficacy are consistent with those of the one-year core TRANSFORMS study demonstrating Gilenia significantly reduced annualized relapse rates by 52% (0.5 mg dose) vs. intramuscular interferon beta-1a[3].

This is such awesome news! I was just explaining to my son this morning how close I was to suicide before this opportunity came along. I wanted him to know that no matter how bad things may seem in life, the situations we find ourselves in are fleeting, but death is permanent. If I had chosen suicide, I would have deprived myself -- an my family -- of these wonderful last three years that I had no idea would be such a vast improvement for me health wise.

You just never know where your rainbow is going to come from...Gilenia (Fingolimod) is mine. :-)