LINKNovantrone is a medicine to treat MS patients with secondary (chronic) progressive, progressive relapsing, or worsening relapsing-remitting MS.

It is not for treating primary progressive MS. Patients treated with Novantrone may have fewer relapses and keep their mobility longer.

Novantrone is given through a needle placed in a vein in your hand or arm. The dose takes about 5 to 15 minutes to deliver.

Novantrone treatment is usually given once every 3 months for about 2 to 3 years (8 to 12 doses). However, this may differ for different patients.

Most side effects of Novantrone are not severe and can normally be treated by your doctor.

The most common side effects of Novantrone in patients with MS are nausea, hair thinning, loss of menstrual periods, bladder infections, and mouth sores.

The nausea is usually mild and generally lasts for less than 24 hours.

A small number of patients treated with Novantrone develop heart problems.

Tell your doctor if you have trouble breathing, swelling of your legs or ankles, or uneven or fast heartbeat.

These problems generally happen in people who get a total of more than 12 doses (usually more than140 mg/m2) of Novantrone during their lifetime.

Novantrone may cause your white blood cell count to go down, which increases your chance of getting an infection.

This risk is greatest within one month after each dose. In addition, Novantrone may cause your platelet count to go down, which increases your chance of bleeding.

Call your doctor right away if you begin to have fever, chills, sore throat, cough, pain with urination, urination more often, or if you notice any unusual bleeding or bruising.

Novantrone is dark blue in color, so it may turn your urine a blue-green color for a few days after each dose. The white part of your eyes may also have a slight blue color.