Novartis launches first oral MS drug Gilenya in UK

Novartis has announced the UK launch of Gilenya, its groundbreaking oral treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS).

The fingolimod-based therapy has become the first orally-administered therapy to be approved in Britain for the treatment of highly-active, relapsing remitting MS among those who have failed to respond to interferon.

It is particularly suited to those who are not seeing benefits from injection-based treatments, but whose disease is not severe enough for infusion therapy, with this patient population currently suffering from limited options.

Novartis hopes that Gilenya's launch will aid in the fight against MS, which is estimated to affect around 100,000 people in the UK.

Dr Eli Silber, a consultant neurologist based at King's College Hospital, said: "This has the potential to be one of the most significant advances since the first-line therapies arrived over a decade ago."

The approval of Gilenya was one of the highlights of the first quarter of 2011 for Novartis, which also reported a 14 percent year-on-year sales growth during the period.