NHS rolls out ‘life-changing’ pill to help MS patients walk more easily
Thousands of patients in England will be eligible for the drug, known as fampridine
A twice-daily pill which helps people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to walk more easily is to be rolled out on the NHS.
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Thousands of patients in England will be eligible for fampridine, which has been hailed as “life-changing”.
It is the first drug designed to improve walking ability in people with MS, an incurable autoimmune disease which affects the brain and spinal cord.
Symptoms can include tiredness, dizziness, tingling in different parts of the body, muscle cramps, vision problems and memory problems.
Until now, MS patients with walking difficulties have been offered physiotherapy, walking aids or devices to support their feet.
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Fampridine, also known as Fampyra, works by acting as a signal booster, helping to restore electrical signals running along damaged nerves and allowing muscles to function better.
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.”
Officials estimate that around 5,000 people with MS will be eligible for the drug in the first year.
It is recommended for MS patients with certain Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores.
The EDSS is a tool used by medics to monitor disability caused by MS.
Those with a score of between four – able to walk without an aid or rest for around 500 metres – and seven, which include patients who use wheelchairs or are unable to walk further than five metres, will be offered fampridine.
Patients will try the drug for two to four weeks, with walking ability assessed before and after treatment.
Those who show progress will continue to take the medicine and will be reviewed regularly.
Fampridine trials found the drug improved walking speed in 43% of patients and helped people walk for longer.
Aysen Slack, 65, from Eastbourne, previously paid for fampridine privately, but stopped due to costs.
She said: “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.”
Ceri Smith, 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.”