THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA (INC.)

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This treatment option is really making a difference; and there are more drugs in clinical trials.

This oral therapy has received TGA approval for use in RRMS in Australia; however they it is not yet available with PBS subsidy.

Gilenya

Australian neurologists and MS patients can now access another treatment option for MS, with the recent Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval and release of the oral medication Gilenya (formally known as Fingolimod) by Novartis. This treatment is for relapsing remitting MS and is a capsule taken daily.

This new medication has been approved by the TGA and has now received  listing on the Government’s Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS); effective from September 2011. Read more at MSRA - Gilenya or MS Trust.

Please note that whilst the new oral medications may assist in improving the lives of many, they may not suit all people with the disease. Also, given the risk profile of any new treatment, including the profile of these oral medications, consultation with a neurologist is essential.

In the pipeline:

More therapies are currently in clinical trials and it is hoped that eventually therapies will be found for treating other more progressive forms of MS. Your neurologist and the MS Society nurses will have access to this information as it becomes available. Contact us and check the web site for updates and read our Bulletin magazine or go to MSRA - Clinical Trials