Patient experience and practice trends in multiple sclerosis – clinical utility of fingolimod

Targeting sphingosine-1-phosphate pathway with orally available immune-modulatory fingolimod (Gilenya™) therapy ameliorates relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) by decreasing relapse rate as shown in FREEDOMS and TRANSFORMS. Fingolimod has also been shown to be superior to interferon-beta therapy as evidenced by TRANSFORMS. Albeit multiple benefits in treatment of multiple sclerosis including high efficacy and ease of administration, potential untoward effects such as cardiotoxicity, risk of infection, and cancer exist, thus mandating careful screening and frequent monitoring of patients undergoing treatment with fingolimod. This review outlines mechanism of action, observations, side effects, and practice guidelines on use of fingolimod in treatment of RRMS.