Question from a friend of mine who takes fingolimod/ gilynea. (Sp)

[Lazarus]

Does anyone have experience with opportunistic infections and fingolimod?

Here is my friend’s question:
“have recently had opportunistic infection which my neurologist Howard Weiner thinks can be addressed by reducing the dosage of Gilenya that I take daily.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has taken or is taking the drug, particularly if they have experience similar problems from immuno-suppression.

Thanks.

[agate]

Since I haven't tried the drug, I don't know if this will help any but the drug has been found to increase susceptibility to viral infections:

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[SuzE-Q]

...
Because [Fingolimod] causes a decrease of circulating lymphocytes, patients might be susceptible to serious infections, such as disseminated or central nervous system herpetic infection; indeed, two deaths were reported during the trial period as a result of primary disseminated varicella zoster infection and Herpes simplex encephalitis in the 1.25 mg/day group.5 Upper respiratory infections including nasopharyngitis or pharyngitis occurred in approximately 45% of patients in the Japanese clinical trial.9

Overseas trials found that the frequency of serious or opportunistic infection seems to be unrelated to lymphocyte count, and was not significantly increased even in patients whose lymphocyte counts had decreased to <200/mm3.13

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