How long does it take for Vumerity to work?
Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) is a delayed-release capsule used to treat relapsing forms of the autoimmune disorder multiple sclerosis. It is thought to have an effect as early as 24 weeks after patients start taking it.
MS is a condition in which a person’s own immune system mistakenly attacks the central nervous system (CNS), causing inflammation and damage to myelin, which forms fatty sheaths around nerve cells to protect them. It is not yet known exactly how Vumerity works in the treatment of MS, but it has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties.
Vumerity contains diroximel fumarate. Diroximel fumarate is rapidly converted in the body to monomethyl fumarate (MMF), which is the same active metabolite Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) has.
The results of clinical studies investigating Tecfidera were used to gain FDA approval for Vumerity, given that they both have the same active metabolite, MMF.
In an analysis of data from the phase III DEFINE and CONFIRM studies, which looked at the effects of Tecfidera on health-related quality of life, the drug was found to start working as early as 24 weeks after it was started, although it can take up to 2 years to for its full effects to be seen.
References
- Parodi B, Rossi S, Morando S, et al. Fumarates modulate microglia activation through a novel HCAR2 signaling pathway and rescue synaptic dysregulation in inflamed CNS. Acta Neuropathol. 2015;130(2):279-295. doi:10.1007/s00401-015-1422-3.
- Yadav SK, Soin D, Ito K, Dhib-Jalbut S. Insight into the mechanism of action of dimethyl fumarate in multiple sclerosis. J Mol Med (Berl). 2019 Apr;97(4):463-472. doi: 10.1007/s00109-019-01761-5. Epub 2019 Feb 28. PMID: 30820593.
- Kourakis, S.; Timpani, C.A.; de Haan, J.B.; Gueven, N.; Fischer, D.; Rybalka, E. Dimethyl Fumarate and Its Esters: A Drug with Broad Clinical Utility? Pharmaceuticals 2020, 13(10), 306; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph13100306.
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Vumerity. Available from: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2020/211855s002lbl.pdf. [Accessed December 11, 2020].
- Kita M, Fox RJ, Gold R, et al. Effects of delayed-release dimethyl fumarate (DMF) on health-related quality of life in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: an integrated analysis of the phase 3 DEFINE and CONFIRM studies [published correction appears in Clin Ther. 2018 Mar 7;:]. Clin Ther. 2014;36(12):1958-1971. doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2014.08.013.
Read next
How do Vumerity and Tecfidera compare for multiple sclerosis (MS)?
Vumerity and Tecfidera are administered in the same way and used to treat the same condition, multiple sclerosis (MS). They also have the same active metabolite, which means that they have the same therapeutic effect - work the same way - in people with MS.
However, Vumerity and Tecfidera do have different chemical structures and Vumerity is better tolerated and causes fewer gastrointestinal problems compared with Tecfidera. Continue reading
How does Vumerity work?
It is not yet known exactly how Vumerity works - what its mechanism of action is - in the treatment of MS.
Vumerity's active metabolite, monomethyl fumarate (MMF), is thought to modulate the immune system and have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. MMF actives Nrf2 and HCAR2. Continue reading
Vumerity vs Mayzent - what's the difference?
Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) and Mayzent (siponimod) are both small molecule drugs used for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), which were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019. Vumerity is used in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), while Mayzent is used in patients with secondary progressive MS (SPMS), although both have been approved by the FDA for use in all the same types of MS.
Vumerity and Mayzent belong to different drug classes. Vumerity is an immunomodulator, while Mayzent is a Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator. They also differ in a number of other ways. Continue reading
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Drug information
- Vumerity Information for Consumers
- Vumerity prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side Effects of Vumerity (detailed)
Related support groups
- Vumerity (5 questions, 3 members)
- Multiple Sclerosis (98 questions, 553 members)