There is a new medication that has incredible promise for the autoimmune condition called Multiple Sclerosis or MS. Gilenya (fingolimod is the generic name) may not only cause neurons to grow, but also decrease the rate of neuronal cell death. MS results when our own immune lymphocytes attack myelin, the “insulating tissue” surrounding and protecting our nerve cells. The results are damaged nerves and symptoms like fatigue, sensory abnormalities such as chronic tingling in parts of the body, and difficulty in walking.
The disease may wax and wane and go into remission. The disabilities associated with MS are significant. There are a variety of medications that either treat symptoms or function to modulate the immune system. Gilenya falls into the class of immune system modulator. It acts to keep the offending lymphocytes that are responsible for the disease sequestered in the lymph nodes and out of circulation.
In HIV infected patients, the medication acts to prevent the HIV virus from destroying neurons by preventing cell death and stimulating nerve cell growth. This is wonderful news to the HIV and MS communities. Given this medication has such powerful effects on protecting nerve cells I am sure it will be used for other conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s disease, ALS (Lou Gherig’s disease), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and other conditions characterized by neuronal cell death. I look forward to seeing how this medication can assist in treating such serious neurological diseases.
