Ms drugs =Cancer drugs?

[pamgarner]

I heard or read the other day that all ms drugs are old cancer drugs, makes sense ,since the both affect B and T cells,has anyone else heard or know anything about this ?

[Kenu]

Not that I know of? I think almost all of them are produced for ms and that there is some similarities to cancer drugs. From what I know none are old Cancer drugs. Ken 🐾🐾

[Raingrrl]

The original DMT’s don’t have the affect on the immune system that some of the newer drugs do and aren’t considered chemo. Of the newer drugs I’m only familiar with Tysabri and Ocrevus. Ocrevus is based on Rituxan which besides being used off-label for MS, is a chemotherapy for specific cancers. Since Ocrevus has the same mechanism as Rituxan, just a little bit different formula, it could be considered a chemo drug. The marketing people at Genentech and neuro’s like mine don’t want to call it that though.

Here is a quote from the NIH back in 2010 on this topic: “Mitoxantrone is currently the only chemotherapeutic agent approved for treatment of MS in the United States, while in parts of Europe azathioprine is approved and widely used for MS treatment. Other chemotherapeutics that have been tested in MS to date include cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, cladribine, and the mAbs alemtuzumab and rituximab.“

Hope this helps!

[pamgarner in reply to Raingrrl]

thank you,my sister had follow up for 5 years of follow up for non-hodgkins of rituximab,had to go 4 weeks in a row the month of april and oct after a successful chemo.genetech talked to me about this and my dr told me rituximab has been approved in the us just not for ms.You are loaded with info thanks

[Raingrrl in reply to pamgarner]

I'm not really loaded with info, I just know how to find it without much effort. It was part of my job for years to do this kind of thing.

[pamgarner in reply to Raingrrl]

thank you,their is either so much info out there on ms or not enough

[CalfeeChick CommunityAmbassador in reply to Raingrrl]

My doc started me on Rituxan and I had my first 2 doses last July and had to postpone further because I had hip replacement Feb 3. I am doubly reduced immune system. Staying in until all clear. I will research Rituxan for now.

[IFwczs]

The similarity between some MS drugs and cancer drugs is that they act like chemotherapy in that they destroy your immune system. Ocrevus was manufactured based on the RA drug Rituximab, and it took them 40 years to develop it. So I wouldn't say MS drugs are old cancer drugs.

[Raingrrl in reply to IFwczs]

IFwczs ..rituximab is not just a drug for RA it is also a cancer treatment for things like non-hodkins lymphoma and a form of leukemia. Its patent was running out so its manufacturer decided to spend the effort on something to specifically target MS. Ocrevus is based on rituximab but is not chimeric like rituximab and both target B cells that express CD20. Neither destroy the immune system instead they cause the death of those specific B cells leaving other B cells and T cells intact.

The quote I posted from the NIH specifies chemo drugs that were either approved for MS or were tested for MS. The NIH refers to these drugs including rituximab as chemotheraputics.

[IFwczs in reply to Raingrrl]

I still would not call Ocrevus an "old cancer drug."

[pamgarner in reply to IFwczs]

I still hold out hope I will be calling it the new MS.cure not an old cancer drug

[Horse714 in reply to Raingrrl]

So we still have a somewhat immune system in tact?? I keep hearing it wipes out are immune system completely and some people have died because they had a urinary tract infection and their body’s immune system couldn’t fight these infections.??

[Raingrrl in reply to Horse714]

Hi Horse714 ... I don’t know where you are hearing that Ocrevus wipes out the entire immune system but that is false. There is a lot of bogus info related to MS out there so be careful what sources you use and believe. I have no medical training or experience, I’m just a well informed patient.

Ocrevus, like rituximab, specifically targets, and kills off, the B cells that express the antigen CD20 on their surface. It doesn’t target the other cells in the immune system.

So you still have a partial immune system when you take Ocrevus but are considered immunocompromised because of the B cell die-off. Your body will produce more B cells so that by the time the next 6 month Ocrevus Infusion is due, most of your B cells are back.

Remember, everyone’s MS is different and we don’t all react to these drugs the same so each person could have a little different experience while on them. But none of the DMT’s wipe out the entire immune system.

Other MS treatments, such as Tysabri, also compromise the immune system making the patient more susceptible to infections such as UTI’s. UTI’s can be notoriously hard to treat in immunocompromised people especially if not caught early.

[Horse714 in reply to Raingrrl]

thank you for verifying this to which I understand it, it is very much appreciated!!

[pamgarner in reply to IFwczs]

thx for the answer,just want to know what I am taking,these things come to me after neuro visit

[IFwczs]

And Tecfidera is an old psoriasis drug.

[pamgarner in reply to IFwczs]

so many of ms meds are for something,there lies the confusion,thank you

[anaishunter]

Some of DMTs like Ocrevus are very similar drugs as chemo in how they work but delivered at a much smaller dosage. This is nothing new or rare. Cancer chemo molecules have been tried on many other diseases and for a long time. My mom received some of these early drugs in trial 20 years ago for RA.

I don't think there's any reason to be worried about this as long as you're properly followed by a doctor you trust.

And yes, unfortunately, some of us will have side effects but this is nothing unique to ms drugs.

[pamgarner in reply to anaishunter]

sometimes I feel like patient heal thyself,then I got you all to sound off my concerns to thank you

[falalalala]

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

[CalfeeChick CommunityAmbassador]

My husband just told me that doctor told us about Rituxan being derived from a cancer drug when we discussed with him before I started on it. Also said it might take up to 2 years to feel positive results. Also, he felt it had a more positive history over some of the other MS meds. I guess I was so overwhelmed at starting infusions.