Fingolimod for progressive MS?

A paper from our group. 

There are an immune cells in the brain and spinal cord called the microglia that are important in MS. 

It is believed that activation of microglia, as part of the inflammation in MS, contributes to the processes that lead to progressive MS. 

In the laboratory Fingolimod (Gilenya), a new drug for treating relapsing MS, reduces the activity of these cells and increases marker of remyelination. 

This knowledge supports the testing of Fingolimod (Gilenya) in MS'ers with progressive disease. 

For those of you with PPMS there is trial, called the INFORMS study, that is almost fully recruited doing just this. 

"Good news? This will be the next trial to report a DMT in PPMS."

Acknowledgments: This work was done as part of the Promise 2010 programme and was generously funded by the NMSS and the MS Society of GB  and NI.

CoI: Multiple and part of this work was supported by Novartis, the makers of Fingolimod (Gilenya)

Epub ahead of printJackson SJ, Giovannoni G, Baker D. Fingolimod modulates microglial activation to augment markers of remyelination. J Neuroinflammation. 2011 Jul 5;8(1):76.

Additional reading: microgliaFingolimod

Previous posts: Please use search engine above to see previous posts on Fingolimod

03 Jun 2011
What exactly are you planning on doing to change that Prof G? Having seen the Fingolimod corporate advert extolling its excellence I have to ask that if it is so effective why it is only approved for RRMS patients? ...
30 Apr 2011
In addition to its immune effects Fingolimod readily penetrates the CNS and may have direct effects on neural cells. This central mechanism of action distinguishes Fingolimod from other immunosuppressive drugs and may ...
02 May 2011
Fingolimod: brain volume data. As a follow-up to my comment on a previous posting; I predict that if the PPMS trial is positive Fingolimod will be the first drug to be licensed as a neuroprotective therapy in MS. ...
21 Mar 2011
(1) Fingolimod is approved in the EU for people with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) despite treatment with beta interferon, or in patients with rapidly evolving severe RRMS. ...