Fampridine is being made available on the NHS in England for the first time, giving some people with MS a medicine that can help them walk more easily. Up to 5,000 people could benefit each year, and patients will only stay on it if they show clear benefit during a trial of up to a month.
Aysen Slack, 65, from Eastbourne, said the NHS decision would make a "huge difference" after she had paid privately for fampridine until it became too costly. She said it had been "working well for me" before she stopped taking it, and added: "My mobility has decreased a lot and even in my flat I have to use sticks now."
Aysen Slack and 5,000 people
Slack said fampridine was "great news" and that she would "definitely like to try" it again. She also said: "it would make a huge difference to my life if I were able to improve my walking." The drug boosts nerve signals and, in clinical trials, around 4 in 10 people taking it had better walking speed and could walk for longer.
NHS England access limits
The change matters because fampridine was previously rejected for use by the NHS in England as not value for money, even though some patients paid for it privately. It is already available in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the new NHS rollout opens access in England for the first time after that earlier refusal.
More than 120,000 people live with MS in England, but only those with enough walking difficulty will qualify for a trial of fampridine. Patients who show clear benefit after up to a month can keep taking it; those who do not will not continue on the medicine.
