Mavenclad (Cladribine) for Multiple Sclerosis

Overview
Mavenclad is a prescription medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) including relapsing-remitting MS and active secondary progressive MS. Mavenclad is typically prescribed in cases where other treatments have proved ineffective or poorly tolerated. Mavenclad is also referred to by its drug name, cladribine.

Mavenclad is an immunomodulator, or in other words, a drug that modulates the immune system. Mavenclad is believed to work by reducing the number of B and T lymphocytes, immune cells that contribute to autoimmune attacks in MS.

How do I take it?
Prescribing information states that Mavenclad is taken orally during two separate treatment courses each year. Each treatment course lasts two weeks. There is about a month between the two treatment courses.

Mavenclad is available as a tablet.

Side effects
The FDA-approved label for Mavenclad lists common side effects including headache, low white blood cell count, and upper respiratory tract infection.

Rare but serious side effects listed for Mavenclad include increased risk for low blood cell counts, serious infections, blood disorders, liver toxicity or injury, and risk of developing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after receiving blood transfusions. GVHD is a severe reaction of the immune system that can be fatal.

For more details about this treatment, visit:

Mavenclad — EMD Serono
https://www.mavenclad.com