New pill frees multiple sclerosis patients from painful injections

The FDA has approved Novartis’ new drug Gilenya, the first oral medication for multiple sclerosis. The pill can ease muscle spasms, loss of balance and other movement programs associated with the disorder. Previously, treatment involved regular injections, which some patients found so uncomfortable they stopped the medication.

The FDA says the pill is “the first in a new class of drugs that block some blood cells in lymph nodes, reducing their migration to the brain and spinal cord, which may help with reducing the severity of MS.”