New Treatment for CD called Tysabri - Anyone Heard of It?
- Thread starter Tami Lynn
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Kev
Senior Member
Yeah, there's another thread on here where it was discussed. think it may have been under a brand name... I recall reading about the rare (tho deadly) side effects. don't recall anyone saying they used it, think its still within the approval process (but I may be wrong on that, my memory ain't what.. what?)
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Tysabri is the brand name. Its marketed by Elan pharmaceuticals and while it has a good safety profile in follow-up studies I would suggest waiting a year or two before you consider giving it a try. The reason for this is that 3 people died in clinical studies while on Tysabri and Interferon from a disease called PML which is very similar to MS only it kills very rapidly. This was a result of too much immunosuppression and now anyone on Tysabri is closely monitored and no futher deaths have been reported after this discovery was made.
My suggestion mostly stems from the fact with remicade and Humira still available and a drug like cimzia with a better safety profile in clinical trials coming down the pipe, why not give yourself an extra year or two of safety data? It would provide a lot peace of mind that any and all safety concerns with Tysabri were in fact 100% related to the use of it with Interferon.
The good news is it appears effective and costs about the same as the other options and I am fairly sure it will be perfectly safe. I just wanted to give my two-cents on it
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My suggestion mostly stems from the fact with remicade and Humira still available and a drug like cimzia with a better safety profile in clinical trials coming down the pipe, why not give yourself an extra year or two of safety data? It would provide a lot peace of mind that any and all safety concerns with Tysabri were in fact 100% related to the use of it with Interferon.
The good news is it appears effective and costs about the same as the other options and I am fairly sure it will be perfectly safe. I just wanted to give my two-cents on it
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There is a saying by doctors that goes "the only safe drug is a new one". It is kind of an inside joke, but it has some truth to it. New drugs almost never have long term studies done on them, so you could say they are all experimental in that respect. That is why they are pulled off of the market every so often.
I prefer something that has been used for many years if possible. Of course, that is if you have that option available. I would put Tysabri in the category of last resort. I would go with the methods or drugs with a longer track record first, if all other things are equal.
Dan Bergman
I prefer something that has been used for many years if possible. Of course, that is if you have that option available. I would put Tysabri in the category of last resort. I would go with the methods or drugs with a longer track record first, if all other things are equal.
Dan Bergman
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The one thing I read up on it is that it is actually not a TNF-inhibitor like I originally believed but functions through another course of action so for some people it could be more effective where TNF-inhibitors might not be. Regardless, very few people are in the position where they can't give it another year or two to build up at least some track record.
Kev
Senior Member
You'd think, since the first patients to use these new drugs coming down the old pharmacological pipeline, are semi fulfilling the role of human guinea pigs, it would mean a big discount. Even, say, if it all goes wrong, a free funeral. just a thought.. ;-)
