Thousands of people with multiple sclerosis in England are to be
offered a new signal booster' therapy on the NHS to help them
walk more easily and live more independently.
Fampridine is the first medicine designed to improve walking in
adults with MS and will now be routinely available on the NHS
from today, NHS England has announced.
Taken as a pill twice a day, fampridine acts like a signal
booster for nerves damaged by MS, helping electrical messages
travel more effectively to the muscles.
For some patients, an improvement in walking could make everyday
tasks easier, from moving around the house and getting out
independently to spending more time with family and friends.
MS is a lifelong neurological condition caused by damage to
nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms vary but can
include weakness, fatigue, loss of sensation, problems with
balance and coordination, and difficulty walking.
Until now, support for MS-related walking difficulties has
largely involved physiotherapy and exercises, walking aids,
devices to support the feet and treatments to manage muscle
stiffness.
Clinical trials found fampridine (Fampyra) improved walking speed
in 43% of patients and also helped people walk for longer.
Patients will initially try the medicine for two to four weeks,
with their walking assessed before and after treatment - with
those who experience a clear benefit continuing to take it for as
long as it keeps working, with regular reviews taking place.
It is estimated that around 5,000 people living with MS will be
eligible in England in the first year.
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS National Medical Director,
said: Walking difficulties can have a huge impact
on the freedom and independence of people with MS, so this
signal-boosting pill could be life-changing for thousands of
patients.
Fampridine helps electrical messages travel along nerves damaged
by MS, giving people the chance to walk more easily and helping
them be more mobile to do more of the everyday things that matter
to them.
For some, even a modest improvement could mean getting around the
house more easily, going out with greater confidence and living
more independently.
Professor , National Medical Director
for Specialised Services at NHS England, said: For
people with MS who have spent years relying on physiotherapy,
walking aids or help from others, having access to a
one-of-a-kind treatment specifically for walking difficulties
offers real hope of greater independence.
Thousands of patients will now be able to try fampridine on the
NHS, with treatment continuing where it makes a clear difference
to their mobility and daily lives.
Aysen Slack, 65, from Eastbourne lives with
MS. Over the past few years it has been progressing
more quickly, affecting her mobility. When she found out about
fampridine a few years ago, she started paying for it privately.
Unfortunately, the cost wasn't feasible in the long-term, so she
stopped taking the drug.
Aysen said: It's such great news that
fampridine will be available for people on the NHS in England.
Fampridine seemed to be working well for me, but paying for the
medication was a significant expense and I could not keep doing
that forever. So I had to make the difficult decision to stop
taking it.
I would definitely like to try fampridine again on the NHS. My
mobility has decreased a lot and even in my flat I have to use
sticks now. It would make a huge difference to my life if I were
able to improve my walking.
The drug will be available for adults with any type of MS whose
walking difficulties are assessed as having an Expanded
Disability Status Scale score of between 4 (able to walk without
aid or rest for around 500 metres) and 7 (unable to walk further
than 5 metres and largely restricted to a wheelchair).
The rollout follows a rigorous assessment by NHS England's
Clinical Priorities Advisory Group which reviews specialist
medicines, devices and treatments according to their benefit for
patients and value for money and brings access in England in line
with other UK nations.
Ceri , Head of Policy and Evidence at the
MS Society, said: We're delighted that fampridine has
now been approved for use on the NHS. Over 120,000 people live
with MS in England and Fampridine is the only licensed treatment
that helps improve walking ability and speed for some of these
people.
For many of them, it's life-changing, allowing them to live more
independently or stay in employment. It's vital that MS services
now have the support they need to make fampridine available to
all people with MS who could benefit from it, regardless of where
in England they live.
NHS England's Clinical Priorities Advisory Group looks at drugs
and treatments that are not being assessed by the National
Institute for Health and Care Excellence, for example where they
are not licensed for the clinical indication in question.
