Cladribine (Mavenclad, Leustat, Litak) is an induction therapy the supresses the immun system and is used for highly active MS.

You can read the complete article at: https://ms-perspektive.com/078-cladribine

   

Cladribine (Mavenclad, Leustat, Litak) is an immunotherapy from the field of immunosuppressants that is used to treat highly active multiple sclerosis (MS). It belongs to the class of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), which use depletion to target the immune system in order to prevent the progression of the disease. Find out more about the principle of induction therapies, how cladribine works, how effective it is and the potential risks associated with it. You will learn about the role of cladribine in MS therapy, its different forms and what patients should know when considering this treatment, particularly with regard to pregnancy, breastfeeding and long-term health monitoring.

Please remember that I can only provide an overview here. Your neurologist and your MS nurse should advise you in detail about the right therapy for you. This is because they know your general state of health and you should also talk about your goals, wishes, fears and preferences so that these can be taken into account.

Table of Contents

• General Information
• How is Cladribine (Mavenclad, Leustat, Litak) classified in immunotherapies?
• What is Cladribine (Mavenclad, Leustat, Litak) approved for?
• What is the situation for special patient groups?
• Who should avoid cladribine (Mavenclad, Leustat, Litak)?
• How does cladribine (Mavenclad, Leustat, Litak) work?
• How is it taken?
• How effective is cladribine (Mavenclad, Leustat, Litak)?
• Risks and side effects of cladribine (Mavenclad, Leustat, Litak)
• Vaccinations
• Sources
• Final note

Sources

I used the following sources to create the content:

• Lecture on Cladribine by Prof. Dr. Johann Sellner as part of the Master’s program Multiple Sclerosis Management
• Quality manual of the German KKNMS on cladribine (Mavenclad)
• MS-Selfie Infocards by Prof. Dr. Gavin Giovannoni 
• German Multiple Sclerosis and Fertility Registry (DMSKW) 
• German DECIMS information on cladribine

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You may also want to look at the posts on the other DMTs:

• #061: Dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera) and diroximel fumarate (Vumerity)
• #065: Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone, Brabio)
• #068: Interferon-beta (Avonex, Betaferon, Extavia, Plegridy, Rebif)
• #070: Teriflunomide (Aubagio)
• #072: Natalizumab (Tysabri, Tyruko) for active relapsing remitting MS
• #074: S1P Modulators – Fingolimod (Gilenya), Ozanimod (Zeposia), Ponesimod (Ponvory), Siponimod (Mayzent) for active RRMS & SPMS
• #076: Alemtuzumab (Lemtrada, Campath) for highly active Multiple Sclerosis

See you soon and try to make the best out of your life, Nele

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