Sporadic benefit from Tysabri - Multiple Sclerosis Community - Ask the Doctor - HealthTalk

On-again, off-again with my new MS treatment

Patrick Parcells, M.D.

August 20, 2007

Question:

I have taken every treatment, and now I am on Tysabri. The first couple of infusions were like I had found the miracle drug. I felt great and needed no assistance in walking. Now after being on this for four months it seems as if it is not working like it did. I know it is new, but do you know if this is the way this stuff is going to work? (On and off when it comes to helping.) I just would like to know so I can learn how to control the depression it causes when it stops working.

Answer:

Tysabri (natalizumab) is the newest treatment we have for multiple sclerosis. It is given intravenously once a month. The clinical data from the Tysabri trials did not show that there was improvement in patients’ symptoms or multiple sclerosis disease itself, but that the drug prevented worsening of disability by 42 percent and prevented new relapses by 67 percent. There have been individual case reports of patients stating that they feel better and that their disease has improved but this was not shown in the clinical trials.

However, Tysabri was shown in the clinical trials to have noteworthy benefit on “quality of life” and it was the first MS treatment ever to show a statistically significant benefit with MS patients in this area. To have fluctuations, as you’ve described, is not unexpected. Many people go through periods of time where they feel better and other times when their symptoms get worse. Tysabri should be used with appropriate realization that its purpose is to prevent the disease from getting worse and not necessarily to make things better – although if they do get better we are certainly happy for that.

It would be difficult to know when the drug would “stop working.” The clinical trials went for two years and are being looked at even further, but we do not have any evidence long-term what will happen with Tysabri. Certainly, we’re hopeful that it will continue to be very effective in slowing down progression of disability and preventing relapses in the majority of patients.

Related Links:
How Is Multiple Sclerosis Treated?
Tysabri: What the New FDA Approval Means to You
Life with MS: Tysabri: A Progress Check

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