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Laboratory Medicine
FDA approves Gilenya to treat multiple sclerosis in pediatric patients

Written by Nuki Mikaberidze

 

The U.S. FDA approved Gilenya (fingolimod) to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) in children and adolescents age 10 years and older. This is the first FDA approval of a drug to treat MS in pediatric patients. Gilenya was first approved by the FDA in 2010 to treat adults with relapsing MS.

MS is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Most people with MS experience their first symptoms, like vision problems or muscle weakness, between the ages of 20 to 40. Two to five percent of people with MS have symptom onset before age 18.

The side effects of Gilenya in pediatric trial participants were similar to those seen in adults. The most common side effects were headache, liver enzyme elevation, diarrhea, cough, flu, sinusitis, back pain, abdominal pain and pain in extremities. Serious risks include slowing of the heart rate, infections, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, vision problems and others.

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