Riluzole is the first medicine the FDA approved for the treatment of ALS. Since 1995, it is still the only medicine shown to extend life in people with ALS. The American Academy of Neurology recommends that riluzole should be offered to all patients to slow the progression of ALS. Patients should ask their physician to start them on riluzole as soon as they receive a diagnosis.
For many years, riluzole was available only as a tablet. Tablets can be challenging for people with ALS because many people develop difficulty swallowing tablets or have a feeding tube (PEG tube). Because of these challenges, people are often told to crush their riluzole tablets. However, no studies have been done to show that this is safe to do. In some people, crushing riluzole tablets may make swallowing problems worse. Additionally, crushed tablets are the most common cause of PEG tubes getting clogged and occurs in 1 out of 3 patients.
TIGLUTIK is the only formulation of riluzole approved by the FDA for both oral and PEG tube use. It was developed specifically to meet the needs of people with ALS. With TIGLUTIK, patients no longer have to crush their riluzole tablets.
