Logistics and safety of edaravone treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: experience in Argentina

The use of Edaravone, given orally, for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was officially approved by the Federal Drug Association (FDA) in 2017. ALS is a rare and progressive degenerative disease that worsens over time. It attacks and destroys the nerve cells that control voluntary muscles, thus leading to weakness, eventual paralysis, and, ultimately death. Edaravone was given initially intravenously, but recent evidence shows better results with oral suspension. This narrative review is aimed to investigate the benefit of Edaravone for the management of ALS, compare it to Riluzole, discuss its mechanism of action, route of use, and side effects, and ultimately discuss future implications of this pharmacotherapy.

Section: Pros and Cons Of Intravenous (Iv) Edaravonementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pros and Cons Of Both IV And Oral Edaravonementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pros and Cons Of Both IV And Oral Edaravonementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Investigating Edaravone Use for Management of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): A Narrative Review

Neupane¹,

Thada²,

Singh³

et al. 2023

“…One of the four patients who underwent tracheostomy died. This study was limited by the fact that insurance companies do not cover edaravone in Argentina, which acted as a limitation [ 20 ]. If insurance covered the drug, more people would have used it, and they would have been able to determine whether the drug produced satisfactory results.…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnical Disparities in Response to Edaravone in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Jayasinghe¹,

Jena²,

Singhal³

et al. 2022

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND), is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the weakness of voluntary muscles due to the loss of motor neurons. Symptoms ultimately culminate in the form of respiratory failure due to the involvement of the diaphragm. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for this disease. Hence, supportive therapy is the only available option in most terminal cases. However, Riluzole and Edaravone (EDA) are the only two known drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating this condition. In 2017, EDA was approved for the treatment of ALS. It is hypothesized that Riluzole and EDA work via a mechanism involving antioxidants, which nullifies the oxidative stress believed to be involved in ALS. However, most studies in several countries have found a wide range of disparities in the efficacy of this drug. In this review, we aim to summarize the differences in results from epidemiological studies across 10 different countries and hypothesize the potential causes of these differences.

“…Two patients stopped the medication due to dissatisfaction. Four patients underwent a tracheostomy, and one of the patients died [ 20 ].…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Marketing Experience of Edaravone in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Clinical Perspective and Comparison With the Clinical Trials of the Drug

Ortíz

Khan

Salem

et al. 2020

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the upper and lower motor neurons. Currently, the only treatment for ALS is riluzole, which only has a limited effect on increasing survival from 3 to 6 months. New therapies are needed in the clinical setting for ALS. We aim to compare and contrast the clinical trials of edaravone and the post-marketing experience of the drug during this study. For the method, a search strategy was made using PubMed with the search terms "Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" (MeSH) and "Edaravone" (MeSH). For inclusion criteria, we used full papers, studies involving humans, and studies published in the English language. We exclude meta-analyses, literature reviews, systematic reviews, studies involving animals, and studies not published in English. After close examination, 20 papers were used for the discussion in this review. The clinical trials showed efficacy in patients in reducing the revised ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS-R) in patients with early ALS with selective criteria. We documented edaravone's post-marketing experience in six countries: Kuwait, South Korea, Argentina, United States, Israel, and Italy. During the study we analyzed, the forced vital capacity (FVC) and ALSFRS-R scored, together with edaravone's safety in the clinical trials and post-marketing experience. Edaravone seems to be more effective in Asia, where the ALSFRS-R scores and the FVC decline were similar to the clinical trial results in Japan. Studies in Europe did not find the drug clinically useful. At the same time, studies in United States and Argentina were mainly descriptive, so more information is needed to evaluate the drug's efficacy in that part of the world. The drug was well-tolerated in all studies. In conclusion, more studies need to be done worldwide to carry out and clarify the effectiveness of edaravone in the clinical setting.