It’s important to work with your healthcare provider to understand if MAVENCLAD is right for you. Here, you’ll find the recommended steps to starting and staying on treatment, and how MS LifeLines® can help you along the way.
1. SEE IF MAVENCLAD IS RIGHT FOR YOU
Before you begin each treatment course, your healthcare provider should perform some tests to rule out certain medical conditions and see if MAVENCLAD is right for you. Once you’re prescribed treatment, your healthcare provider will continue to monitor you to see how you’re doing. Your healthcare provider may delay or completely stop treatment with MAVENCLAD if you have severe side effects.
Testing is recommended:
PRE-TREATMENT CHECKLIST
Once you and your healthcare provider have decided that MAVENCLAD is right for you, there are some things your healthcare provider should check before your first treatment cycle in year one. This is to make sure you’re ready to begin treatment. To help you through the process, we’ve created a pre-treatment checklist. Your healthcare provider will determine what tests are appropriate and complete the form for you.
TELL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER ABOUT ALL OF YOUR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING IF YOU:
2. CONNECT WITH MS LIFELINES
MS LifeLines is an educational patient support service sponsored by EMD Serono that supports patients throughout their MAVENCLAD journey. They offer one-on-one support, including basic MS educational resources and information to help you understand and stay on track with your MAVENCLAD treatment.
3. BEGIN YEAR 1 OF TREATMENT
During the first year, you’ll take MAVENCLAD for no more than 10 days. This means 1 or 2 pills per day for up to 5 days in the first month, and then 1 or 2 pills per day up to 5 days in the second month. Keep in mind that dosing will depend on your weight.
After finishing your first 2 treatment weeks (or cycles) in year 1, you don’t have to take MAVENCLAD for the rest of the year. That's 355 MAVENCLAD dosing-free days a year.
4. MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS
Throughout year 1, your healthcare provider will continually monitor how you’re doing. He or she should order blood tests throughout your first year to check if your B and T cells are in an acceptable range. And, if you'd like, MS LifeLines can remind you when follow-up appointments are needed.
Blood tests are recommended at:
Just as there were tests done before starting treatment in year 1, there should be tests done before you begin year 2 of treatment. Also, your healthcare provider should check on a few things, such as weight, before starting your second year of MAVENCLAD treatment.
To help you understand what tests your healthcare provider may perform before you start your second year of MAVENCLAD, download our checklist and bring it to your next appointment.
5. BEGIN YEAR 2 OF TREATMENT
Year 2 of your treatment course is going to be very similar to year 1. Again, it’s 1 or 2 pills per day for up to 5 days in the first month, and then 1 or 2 pills per day for up to 5 days in the second month.
MAVENCLAD will continue to treat your MS over the 2 treatment years—even when you’re not actively taking it.
Your healthcare provider should conduct regular health checks, just like in year 1, to see how you're doing. And be sure to connect with MS LifeLines because they can alert you when follow-up appointments with your healthcare provider may be needed.
6. BEYOND YEAR 2
Your healthcare provider will monitor your health during the 2 years that you’re on treatment, and for at least another 2 years after treatment. During this time, you do not need to take MAVENCLAD. It is not known if it is safe and effective for people to restart MAVENCLAD after the full 4-year period.
After year 2, your healthcare provider will talk to you about what comes next for your treatment plan.
Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or plan to become pregnant or breastfeed. For females who are able to become pregnant, your healthcare provider should order a pregnancy test before you begin your first and second yearly treatment course of MAVENCLAD to make sure that you are not pregnant.
For people taking MAVENCLAD, you should not:
Both men and women should use effective birth control while taking MAVENCLAD and for at least 6 months after the last dose in year 1 and year 2. Talk to your healthcare provider if you use birth control pills. You should use a second method of birth control on the days which you take MAVENCLAD and for at least 4 weeks after your last dose of each yearly treatment course.
Stop treatment with MAVENCLAD and contact your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant during treatment with MAVENCLAD.
Patients taking MAVENCLAD can consider pregnancy after waiting at least 6 months after their last dose.
The chart below shows when pregnancy can be considered.
The person in the photo below is not an actual MAVENCLAD patient.
Once your healthcare provider prescribes MAVENCLAD, MS LifeLines Nurses are available to help you navigate your treatment journey.
LEARN MOREMAVENCLAD may cause serious side effects, including:
Do not take MAVENCLAD if you:
Before you take MAVENCLAD, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
How should I take MAVENCLAD?
Your healthcare provider will continue to monitor your health during the 2 yearly treatment courses, and for at least another 2 years during which you do not need to take MAVENCLAD. It is not known if MAVENCLAD is safe and effective in people who restart MAVENCLAD treatment more than 2 years after completing 2 yearly treatment courses.
MAVENCLAD can cause serious side effects. If you have any of these symptoms listed below, call your healthcare provider right away:
The most common side effects of MAVENCLAD include: upper respiratory infection, headache, and low white blood cell counts.
These are not all the possible side effects of MAVENCLAD. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see full Prescribing Information/Medication Guide, including serious side effects, for additional Important Safety Information.
MAVENCLAD is a prescription medicine used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), to include relapsing-remitting disease and active secondary progressive disease, in adults. Because of its safety profile, MAVENCLAD is generally used in people who have tried another MS medicine that they could not tolerate or that has not worked well enough.
MAVENCLAD is not recommended for use in people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS).
It is not known if MAVENCLAD is safe and effective in children under 18 years of age.
MAVENCLAD may cause serious side effects, including:
Do not take MAVENCLAD if you:
Before you take MAVENCLAD, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
How should I take MAVENCLAD?
Your healthcare provider will continue to monitor your health during the 2 yearly treatment courses, and for at least another 2 years during which you do not need to take MAVENCLAD. It is not known if MAVENCLAD is safe and effective in people who restart MAVENCLAD treatment more than 2 years after completing 2 yearly treatment courses.
MAVENCLAD can cause serious side effects. If you have any of these symptoms listed below, call your healthcare provider right away:
The most common side effects of MAVENCLAD include: upper respiratory infection, headache, and low white blood cell counts.
These are not all the possible side effects of MAVENCLAD. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see full Prescribing Information/Medication Guide, including serious side effects, for additional Important Safety Information.