tysabri novantrone

And if not, if it must come to a more aggressive approach, may I try Tysabri rather than Novantrone. She stated that my neuro advised that my treatment plan has not changed: that if Rebif doesn't work out, I will try COPAXONE (NOT Novantrone) next. That my tolerance to the injectible meds must first be established before any change. That if Copaxone doesn't work out, that both Tysabri and Novantrone are options at that time.

My neuro is considering switching me from Rebif to either Tysabri or Novantrone. I started Rebif in Feb 2008, however was not on it long enough to really know if it was doing any good as far as disease progression/relapse reduction, as within 8 weeks my liver enzymes had elevated and my treatment was suspended. I just started Rebif again this week on a very gradual titration schedule, and my liver will be monitored closely via weekly labs.

As of March 2008, more than 26,000 patients were on Tysabri® worldwide. Since the re-launch of Tysabri in July 2006, no new cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) have been reported. PML is an often-fatal viral infection of the brain. Data from the PLEX study suggest that plasma exchange may be an effective procedure for accelerating the removal of Tysabri from the blood if PML infection is suspected.

I'm on Daclizumab High Yield Process. I was on the phase III portion of the drug trial for three years and may have been on either DAC HYP or Avonex at the time (double blinded, so I don't know), but know that I'm on the extension, it's open label. I know I'm on Daclizumab. Participating in both arms of the study represents the sum total of my DMD experience. There was no "before".

OK guys I need info..... anybody here on Tysabri? Anybody been on it previously? Any first hand input is helpful, as well as any info in general. My neuro tossed it out at the appt today - COMPLETELY blew me out of the water. Never saw it coming. The Rebif makes me sick and he's concerned that things keep advancing and I've never really had the elusive remission... :) He explained alot about Tysabri - truth vs hype.

Copaxone, Betaseron, Monthly Solu-Medrol, Novantrone, Rebif, Tysabri (one dose), Imuran/Copaxone, IVIg, Tysabri (five doses), IVIg/Solu-Medrol. Those are just the the disease-modifying drugs! Wow! I have a great medical team which consists of a GP, Therapist, Neurologist, and an Immunologist that all work together to help keep me here and in good spirits. Right now I'm again in the midst of trying to find a new medication.

But, I do want to know why there has been no discussion of Tysabri. Tysabri and Novantrone have equal risks of a fatal side effect - about 1 in 1000. The big difference is that Tysabri is not a chemotherapuetic agent, there is no lifetime dosage limit as in Novantrone, and the deaths all occurred while it was being used in conjunction with other hefty meds. In MS it was with an Interferon. Most researchers believe it was the dual-whammy of the combination of meds that led to the PML.

There is an ultimate limit on how much Novantrone you can receive. After a course of Novantrone one will usually have some minor decrease in heart function. Also, it is directly immunosuppressive, so there is risk of serious infection. Tysabri can cause a serious brain infection called PML and this occurs roughly in 1 in 1000 patients. It is sometimes fatal and sometimes causes neurologic damage. But, it has been very successful at stopping the disease in many patients.

The cardiotoxicity of Novantrone is scary to me, not that Tysabri is without its serious side effects, as you point out. You are definitely not being silly to have such concerns. For now I am holding steady since going on Copaxone three months ago. Prior to that I had a short and unsuccessful run at Rebif. Had to discontinue Rebif after only 8 weeks due to elevated liver enzymes. Since you only started Copaxone 6 weeks ago, it really hasn't had a chance to do its thing.

) Believe it or not, my big fear at this point is that if more problems keep cropping up, the FDA will pull Tysabri off the market - and then what will those of us in my position do? If Tysabri is taken off the table, the only thing left is Novantrone or clinical trials. And if I fail Tysabri, I don't know if I would qualify for very many clinical trials anyway. So it's not bravery at all - it's more of a lack of options and blind optimism, I guess, lol.

and if not, a lot of uncertainty as to whether I should try Copaxone, Novantrone or Tysabri. I am hopeful I will get a thorough review in Boston and some good advice as to my best course of action. Anything valuable that I learn from my visit, I will be sure to share with you all.

The trial that I an thinking of jioning is Rebif vs Campath.

Rather, I have been ambivalent about my doc’s suggested next step (Novantrone) should my MS remain as active as it has been in this past year, and mainly I wanted to know Brigham’s position on the use of Novantrone vs Tysabri in cases of early, aggressive MS like mine. I figured, the more info I can get from the experts, the better equipped I will be, when/if I have to make a decision about another change in treatment.

but was progressing so the neuro had me do Novantrone...I only had two infusions and then had some problems with my muga scan...slow injection fraction:( So, then I started Tysabri, I was on that for almost 2 yrs. I didn't have any new lesions, but the old stuff is progressing. I see a dr. at UCSF and he took me off tysabri. So in 6 month's we will try something else...Oh yeah, I also did plasma exchange for 2 weeks and then every month for a yr. So as you can see...

Only Tysabri has shown the abilty to cut relapses and lesions by 2/3s. Tysabri is relatively new and is still has some issues. In fact no one knows what it does after 2 years. The more std. MS drugs, which are primarily interferons by the names of Avonex, Rebif and Betaseron cut MS activity by about 1/3. And thats if you have Relapsing Remitting MS. The drugs are all injected. A new drug that is oral "finglomod" is in phase 3 clinical trials.

My neuro decided to send me to UCSF to see if Tysabri would work for me. We had a LOOONNNNGGG talk about the risks and the specialist gave me the impression that the risks were MUCH lower than they are. He also gave me the impression that if I tested negative for the JC virus antibodies that my risks were almost nil..

The first thing he came up with was Novantrone, and after reading up on it I declined that due to a long history in the family of heart problems (mother, father, brother & sister died of congestive heart failure). He was not pleased with my decision and got very snarky so I have made an appointment with a new neuro. I've done some reading up on what is out there but could use some input on the "newer" stuff. Thanks a ton for listening.

You do have options besides Tysabri, you have your choice of Novantrone, Betaseron, Rebif, Extavia (which is an interferon beta-1b) & Copaxone (all of them coming with side effects) ... see: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/treatments/index.aspx I do hope you start to feel better Jason as each day passes.

I have secondary progressive MS, and have not had much luck on the other drugs. I was to high in my numbers for Tysabri, then they said they would not pay for it as I was considered "stable" ..... so, does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should maybe ask for or try at least. Thanks for listening, been a hard few months...

Hi Candy, I'm sorry to hear it was not better news that you received. I think giving yourself a day to let it soak in before reading the literature you were given is a good idea. There are a few chemo drugs sometimes used to treat more aggressive MS. It would be helpful if you could provide the name so those with experience with it can help you. The only one I'm familiar with, though never took), is Novantrone (mitoxatrone).

After my first exacerbation in October 2007- when they changed my diagnosis to progressive relapsing MS- my doctor put me on Novantrone, which is a type of chemotherapy. I had one dose every three months, and after I had a total of three doses, I weighed 98 pounds (I'm 5'6"), so we had to stop. I've been having steroid infusions since, and now I have one steroid infusion, once a month.

5 year lifetime treatment of Novantrone ..therefore she was told that she can Not use Tysabri, because it could trigger JC Virus, if she has it laying dormant in her Brain. Go with Copaxone.

Tysabri novantrone

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