"Fingolimod, an oral drug under development for treating multiple sclerosis, was shown to be more effective than current treatments in a recent trial.
The trial consisted of over 1,200 individuals receiving either fingolimod or Avonex. On average, the people receiving Avonex had 0.33 relapses per year while the people on fingolimod had between 0.16 and 0.20 relapses (depending on dosage tested).
The full results have not been released yet, but the company that owns the drug, Novartis, will submit for FDA approval by the end of 2009. That means there could be an effective oral MS treatment available in 2010. This is great news to all of us who deal with side effects and injection site reactions on a daily/weekly/monthly basis."