July 20th, 2015 written by: Daniela Semedo, PhD
Fingolimod, also known by its brand name Gilenya, is an oral immunotherapy approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). In a recent study published in the Journal PLOS One, a team of researchers found that the autonomic cardiovascular dysfunction in MS patients with delayed heart rate re-acceleration upon Fingolimod-initiation suggest that MS-related central autonomic lesions may compromise heart rate re-acceleration.
Fingolimod causes the heart rate to slow even in healthy persons and may also cause prolonged or more prominent heart rate slowing in some MS patients. Results from phase III clinical trials showed that Fingolimod caused bradycardia and serious cardiovascular adverse events, including atrioventricular blocks.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommends that upon Fingolimod initiation, patients should have their heart rate monitored for at least six hours or if it is at the lowest value 6 hours following the first dose, extended monitoring for at least 2 more hours and until the heart rate increases again.
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