ALS News Today Forums Forums ALS Progress Research Topics Ibudilast (Ketas)

  • Ibudilast (Ketas)

    Posted by John Lopynski on December 18, 2019 at 11:19 am

    The recent news that Ibudilast will help PALS early in the disease has made me consider purchasing Ibudilast overseas since it has been sold in Japan and Europe for some time.  Does anyone have experience doing this and if so what has been the outcome?  Thanks

    Ahmed Yusuf replied 3 years, 1 month ago 14 Members · 23 Replies
  • 23 Replies
  • Martino Caretto

    Member
    December 19, 2019 at 3:32 pm

    Hi. I am a PALS, onset in 2016,diagnosed in 17, now with feeding tube and on ventilator, male, 69 years old. I was ” prescribed ” Ibudilast about 5 months ago: I order it through ” The social medwork ” a Dutch company: they source it in Japan and have it delivered to my front door. Your doctor could write a letter to them stating that he/she recommends it for you. They will then help you ordering it.

  • John Lopynski

    Member
    December 20, 2019 at 10:12 am

    Hi Martino.  After 5 months are you seeing improvement?  Thanks

  • Martino Caretto

    Member
    December 20, 2019 at 10:39 am

    Well, the best hope would be to slow down progress, so I do not see an improvement and I cannot say what the progress would have been without it.
    However progress on ALSFR scale has been 2 points in about 8 months.
    I am also on Radicava and Riluzole.

    In a nutshell, I cannot really answer your question with certitude. The neurologist recommended it and I complyed…
    I would try anything that might help…
    Bye for now.

  • Karen Kyle

    Member
    December 24, 2019 at 10:36 am

    iT CAME QUICK. It depends if they have it. Had a prescription from my Dr. Now I have no problem with holding my head up.

    • Ali Reza

      Member
      March 10, 2021 at 12:44 am

      Dear Martin, Hi, hope everything goes well and your pALS to be stopped by these medicines, but my mother has Bullbar Palsy, and was on radicava but her neurologist does not let her take radicava anymore due to her respiratory weakness, she uses bipap, but as you mentioned you are on ventilator and use radicava, I wondered if with breathing weakness people can use radicava?

  • John Lopynski

    Member
    December 26, 2019 at 9:38 am

    Hi Karen.  So it looks like Ibudilast has improved your symptoms, is that correct?  How long have you been taking it?  Thanks

  • Jens Buss

    Member
    December 28, 2019 at 3:57 am

    Hi to all of you
    I did the same, bought it from social medwork. But I take it for 10 days only, so no improvement yet. But starting from January I will combine it with TUDCA and Ammonaps. The idea is to copy AMX 0035. As you can see, I even try all what might be helpful. I’ll keep you updated if there is any improvement.
    By the way, my name is Jens from Germany. I have been diagnosed with ALS since 18 months. I still can walk a couple of meters with actually no bulbar symptoms.
    I am do my own trial, because my progress is too slow for being part of a official trial.

    Greetings Jens

  • Amanda

    Member
    December 28, 2019 at 10:53 am

    @Phillipjax, thank you for linking the websites. I have not had the opportunity to review them, but will ASAP.  It is very important that pALS stay informed with data. Providing the links will help our members research!

  • Owen

    Member
    February 25, 2020 at 3:29 pm

    Hi all- I’d be interested in hearing an update on whether or not Ibudilast has helped at all. The Phase 3 trail has been pending for a while now.

    I’d also be interested in hearing if anyone knows the dose and ratio AMX 0035 used between TUDCA and sodium phenylbutyrate (i.e. how many mg of TUDCA, how many mg of sod phenyl), and where you could buy sodium phenylbutyrate in the US online?

    • Ali Reza

      Member
      March 10, 2021 at 1:10 am

      Dear Amanda,

      Hi, I want to start giving TUDCA to my mother, a bit afraid of side effects, if there is no side effects  I want to start it, can you help me on that?

       

      • Dagmar

        Member
        March 10, 2021 at 10:39 am

        I agree with Amanda. Please consult with your mother’s doctor first.

        It’s easy for caregivers or family members to become impatient or enamored with the “latest treatment” in the news – – and want to take over medical management of their pALS – – from the doctor’s control. But your pALS’s doctor is the team leader and can see the big picture.

         

  • John Lopynski

    Member
    April 18, 2020 at 10:44 am

    I would also like to know how best to acquire Ammonaps in order to replicate the AMX 0035 trial.  Is this by prescription and has there been any side effects?

  • Ahmed Hassan

    Member
    May 2, 2020 at 3:55 pm

    Dear All,

    is anybody take Tudca along with Riluzole and Radicava?

    i see Tudca clinical trial excluding people take Radicava.

    Appreciate your support with some insight, as My Brother Planning to take Tudca along with the current Radicava protocol

    Many thanks

  • Ahmed Hassan

    Member
    May 2, 2020 at 3:58 pm

    Dear Owen,

    did you get some feedback from the forum on your question?

     

  • Glen North

    Member
    May 3, 2020 at 2:24 pm

    Hi Ahmed,

    I tried both Radicava and Tudca.  I continued to progress. I didn’t notice anything.

    glen

     

  • Ahmed Hassan

    Member
    May 3, 2020 at 3:18 pm

    Many thanks Glen for your kind reply/

    did you get both at the same time ? or one after the other ?

     

  • Glen North

    Member
    May 4, 2020 at 10:20 am

    same time.

  • Emma

    Member
    May 6, 2020 at 10:16 am

    Greetings.  I am 58 yo  female with onset in my limbs August 2017.    My formal diagnosis was May 22, 2018.  I am currently on Riluzole and Ibudilast.  I have been taking  Riluzole since July 2018 and recently started taking Ibudilast.  On Ibudilast for 7 weeks now and feel no difference.  I felt I would try it as long as I had no bad side effects.  The only thing I found is it’s easier on my stomach after I eat a meal.  I take 10 pills/day (100mg) which is required dosage.   Got the prescription from my doctor who put me in touch the a social network for coordinate the order,

  • Romolo Pallini

    Member
    May 7, 2020 at 4:36 pm

    Hi,

    I did a long Ibudilast trial at Mass General.

    No issues , but did not see any real benefits.

    and scans to my brain did show no reduction of inflammation.

    trial was 9 months.

    i was on both riluzole and Neudexta.

  • Giselle Vargas

    Member
    March 6, 2021 at 1:35 pm

    Following up with those of you on Ibudilast? Are you still taking it? Seeing any benefits? Breathing any better?

    I am also curious if anyone is taking BOTH ibudilast and sodium phenylbuterate.
    ( sounds like Ammonaps must be the European name for SPB )

    Thank You in advance!

  • Ahmed Yusuf

    Member
    March 11, 2021 at 8:53 am

    Everyone,
    You can learn everything about Ibudilast by studying the text at https://endals.altervista.org/#ibudilast .

    Note the key statement near the end: “Within a subgroup of 34 Early-Stage patients, 11 (32%) experienced stable disease or improvement, which is an astonishing achievement if accurate. Each of the 11 is represented by a red line in the graph below, which comes from this very detailed 2018 trial report (a link to the report is given).
    “After 3 elapsed months each of the 11 patients remained either stable (the line becomes horizontal) or improved (the line slopes upward). The remaining 22 patients (68% of the 34), represented by blue lines, continued to decline, but some less rapidly than others.”

    If true, this is exceedingly important, because NO OTHER drug offers stability or improvement – all others attempt to REDUCE THE RATE of decline. So, Ibudilast may be hopeful, especially for those with early stage disease.

    The Japanese pharmacy and the drug dosage are given. It would be risky to buy from Europe. Such a lengthy distribution trail (Japan to Europe to USA) offers too many opportunities for a counterfeit drug to be introduced. The Japanese pharmacy, which is linked in the article, is located in the same city as the manufacturer’s research center, making counterfeit substitution unlikely.

    Yusuf

  • Ali Reza

    Member
    March 12, 2021 at 11:44 pm

    Dear Amanda/Dear Dagmar, Many thanks for your reply and kind comment, the doctor said better not to use it but not very strict this doctor just accepts approved medicines.

    Thanks  a lot

  • Ahmed Yusuf

    Member
    March 13, 2021 at 10:55 am

    Ali & Everyone,
    Most physicians will not recommend drugs that are not FDA-approved, since such recommendations exposes them to lawsuits in this very litigious society. However, keep in mind that this is not a new drug. It has been used in Japan and other Asian countries for more than a decade as a neuroprotectant. And, Phase 3 trial participants are dosed at 100mg (10 capsules) per day.

    In addition, it is important to point out that the “good news” on Ibudilast thus far is based solely on an early-disease subgroup of a completed Phase 2 trial.

    The definitive verdict will be known upon the completion of the ongoing Phase 3 trial, which ends in late 2024, with a report available months thereafter.
    Nevertheless, the Phase 2 results are hopeful for some. And, most cannot wait.

    Finally, the Phase 3 trial is closed, and half of its 230 participants are receiving a placebo, unfortunate for them. But, you can “participate” informally in the trial and get the same experimental therapy, and (unlike trial participants) you don’t risk receiving a placebo for years..
    Yusuf

    PS: Do not take my word for it. Study the discussion at https://endals.altervista.org/#ibudilast, as well as the supporting documents linked there, and decide for yourself. After  a few hours of study you will be able to make a decision.

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