NICE guidance - teriflunomide for treating relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
Last reviewed 01/2018
Teriflunomide is an immunomodulatory disease-modifying therapy
- has a UK marketing authorisation for 'the treatment of adult patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis'
- is anti-inflammatory and works by blocking proliferation of stimulated lymphocytes
- exact mechanism of action for teriflunomide is not fully understood
- thought to reduce the number of activated lymphocytes, which would cause inflammation, and damage myelin in the central nervous system
Adverse effects include:
- diarrhoea, alopecia, nausea and increased levels of alanine aminotransferase
NICE have stated that teriflunomide is recommended for treating adults with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (normally defined as 2 clinically significant relapses in the previous 2 years)
- only if they do not have highly active or rapidly evolving severe relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
For full details see the summary of product characteristics.
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