How Does Tecfidera Compare With Other MS Drugs?

April 25, 2013 — With the arrival of Tecfidera this spring, people with multiple sclerosis now have three oral drugs to choose from to treat the relapsing form of the disease.

Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) joins two other oral MS drugs. Aubagio (teriflunomide) was approved in 2012, and Gilenya (fingolimod) was approved in 2010.

For the 350,000 people in the U.S. who have MS, these drugs represent a treatment breakthrough. Other MS drugs used to treat the relapsing form are injected or given through an IV.

All three oral MS drugs are expensive. Tecfidera’s wholesale cost is nearly $55,000 a year. Gilenya and Aubagio cost $60,000 and $45,000 a year.

All three drugs also have side effects. The active ingredient in Tecfidera has been linked to four cases of a rare but sometimes fatal brain disease, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). That side effect was not seen in patients taking Tecfidera during clinical trials, the company making the MS drug says.

With three similar drugs, what do patients need to know? 

For answers, WebMD turned to Barbara Giesser, MD, professor of neurology and clinical director of the University of California Los Angeles Multiple Sclerosis Program. She was not involved in the clinical trials for any of the three drugs.

It appears to have anti-inflammatory actions and brain-protective actions. The main problem in MS is that immune cells are getting into the brain and the spinal cord and they are attacking the nerves. One of the main ways they cause damage is by inflammation, particularly in relapsing-remitting MS.

So Tecfidera does a number of different things to lower inflammation and lower the ability of the immune cells to get in and attack the central nervous system. Additionally, it may protect nerves from damage.

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