Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone and Brabio)

Jump to:

• Who can take glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio)?
• How does glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) work?
• How well does glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) work?
• Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) side effects
• Stopping glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio)
• What tests do you need with glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio)?
• Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) and pregnancy, breastfeeding and contraception

Who can take glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio)?

You can take glatiramer acetate if you have active relapsing MS. ‘Active’ MS means you have relapses or MRI scans show that you have new, active or growing lesions.

The makers of Copaxone, one brand of glatiramer acetate, say their drug can be taken during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. Read more in the section on pregnancy.

You might be offered the ‘generic’ version of this DMT with a different brand name. It’s called Brabio and works just as well as Copaxone.

Back to the top

How does glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) work?

It’s not clear how glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) works. It dampens down inflammation. This reduces damage to the coating (myelin) around nerves in your brain and spinal cord.

You inject it yourself at home. You inject it under your skin, not into a vein. You inject into your arm, thigh, hip or stomach. You do this once a day or, if on the higher dose, three times a week. 

You can inject using a pre-filled syringe. Or you can use a ‘pen’ device that you hold against the skin. With the pen you don’t see the needle going in.

Back to the top

How well does glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) work?

The effectiveness of glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) is classed as 'moderate'. Each DMT can be rated as ‘moderate’, ‘good’ or ‘high’ based on two things. One is how much it reduces relapses. The other is how much it slows down disability getting worse.

A large trial called GALA reported its results in 2013. In it people took glatiramer acetate three times a week. In the GALA trial: 

Relapses dropped by: 34%

This means that in this 12 month trial, on average, people saw a 34% drop in the number of relapses they had. This was compared to people who took a placebo, a dummy treatment with no drug in it. This trial only lasted 12 months, which might not have been long enough to show the drug’s impact on disability. 

Disability getting worse was slowed down by: a modest amount

This means that, on average, people saw a modest drop in the risk of their disability getting worse. This was compared to people who took a placebo. 

How well does glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) work over many years?

Long term evidence from people on glatiramer acetate for years shows its effect is much bigger than 'modest'. That’s if you start taking it early on in your MS.

A UK study known as the MS Risk Sharing Scheme looked at around 5,000 people who took glatiramer treatment (or beta interferons) over ten years. It found that treatment had a positive effect. For example, it delayed the need to use a walking stick by an average of four years.

Back to the top

Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) side effects

Compared to other DMTs the risk of side effects, especially serious ones, is among the lowest. 

Very common side effects (more than 1 in 10 people get them): 

• headaches
• skin rash
• flu-like symptoms
• feeling anxious or depressed
• joint or back pain
• feeling weak or sick
• pain in the joints or back
• reddening of skin where you inject, itching, swelling or pain 

Common side effects (up to 1 in 10 people get them):

• loss of appetite, putting on weight
• cough, runny nose
• problems with ears or eyes
• upset stomach
• changes under the skin where you inject
• change to how things taste

After their injection some people go red in the face (flushing), feel breathless or get a pounding heart for a short time. Most people find that where they inject into their skin it bruises, becomes itchy or goes red or hard. You could also get dents in your skin where you inject.

An uncommon but serious side effect

A serious allergic reaction can happen with glatiramer acetate called anaphylaxis. It’s uncommon but can be life-threatening. If this happens, it’s usually within an hour of injecting the drug. 

Anaphylaxis is most likely when people first start taking the drug. But it can also happen months or years into the treatment. Between one in every 100 people and one in every 1,000 people on glatiramer acetate has this reaction.

Symptoms of this allergic reaction include:

• wheezing
• difficulty breathing
• swollen lips
• throat or face
• hives (a skin rash)

This reaction can quickly become life-threatening. So immediate emergency medical help is needed. These symptoms can be similar to common injection reactions that people often get with this drug. So your health care team should let you know what to look out for. They’ll tell you what to do if you notice signs of the more dangerous (but uncommon) allergic reaction.

Find out more about all the possible side effects of glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) 

Back to the top

Stopping glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio)

You should never stop taking a DMT without telling your neurologist.

Back to the top

What tests do you need with glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio)?

Your neurologist might want you to have an MRI scan at some point to see how well the drug is working. How often you have scans depends on what your neurologist thinks you need. This could be once a year. But if your MS seems stable, it could be less often.

If you have heart or kidney problems when you start taking glatiramer acetate, then you may need blood tests to check these are OK. Otherwise no regular blood testing is needed.

You don’t need any special vaccinations before you start this drug. You can have vaccinations while on it. That includes an annual flu jab. Your MS team or GP can answer any questions about vaccinations.

Read more about vaccines 

Back to the top

Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio) and pregnancy, breastfeeding and contraception

Pregnancy

There’s no evidence glatiramer acetate harms unborn babies. This drug is available under two brand names: Copaxone and Brabio. There’s been a lot of research into Copaxone and pregnancy, but not into Brabio.

You can take Copaxone while you’re pregnant if your neurologist thinks you need to.

If you prefer, you can stop taking this drug up to a month before you try to get pregnant. Doctors might recommend one month (or less) as the ‘washout period’. That’s how long it takes for the drug to leave your body.

If it is possible you could get pregnant, ask your neurologist for advice if you want to take either brand of glatiramer acetate.

Women who’ve just had a baby may be more likely to have a relapse. So if you decide to stop this drug to have a baby, you should go back on it straight after the birth to cut your relapse risk.

If you want to have a child, discuss this with your neurologist or MS nurse. If you think you’ve become pregnant, let your medical team know at once. Never stop your DMT without first getting their advice.

Breastfeeding

You can take Copaxone while breastfeeding. If you want to breastfeed, ask your neurologist for advice about breastfeeding while on glatiramer acetate (and for a month after you stop taking it).

Contraception

There are no special recommendations about contraception while taking glatiramer acetate (Copaxone or Brabio). It doesn’t interfere with how contraception works. And you don’t need to use contraception while you take this drug.

Read more about pregnancy, breastfeeding and contraception and DMTs

Back to the top