Fingolimod in multiple sclerosis: profile of use in habitual practice

Objectives Fingolimod is the first oral drug indicated in monotherapy as a modifier of the course of very active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The safety profile of fingolimod is well established in clinical trials and post-marketing studies. Our objective was to study the profile of fingolimod use in our health area. Methods A retrospective, observational, descriptive study was performed on the use of fingolimod in adult patients diagnosed with RRMS between January 2015 and February 2017 or until suspension of treatment in a reference hospital in north-western Spain. Results A total of 55 patients were included with a mean +/- SD time of treatment with fingolimod of 26 +/- 14.6 months (range 2-53). Thirteen patients permanently discontinued the treatment (10 due to outbreaks/disease progression and 3 due to adverse effects). No statistically significant differences were found between the percentage of patients who discontinued fingolimod and who had received only one previous treatment and those who had received two or more treatments. No cases of symptomatic bradycardia were reported. Conclusions Fingolimod is a safe treatment for patients with multiple sclerosis.