The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has decided that fampridine (Fampyra) will not be made available on the NHS in Scotland for people with MS-related walking problems.
In 2016, SMC assessed fampridine but was unable to recommend it on the grounds of cost effectiveness. Earlier this year, the submitting company requested a reassessment of fampridine based on additional data gathered from clinical studies and real-world use of the medicine. The MS Trust contributed a detailed response on the impact of fampridine on walking problems in people living with MS.
Despite this additional evidence, the SMC considers that fampridine does not offer value for money to NHS Scotland.
Many people living with MS are struggling to cope with the impact the condition has on their mobility. Walking problems can affect many of the things we all take for granted, such as walking around the house and garden, doing the shopping, or simply making it to the toilet on time. Even small improvements in walking can bring many benefits to someone living with MS, as well as to their family, carers, and society as a whole.
Today’s disappointing decision means that people with MS are being left to self-fund prescriptions for a drug that has been shown to have a clinical benefit for them. This is beyond the reach of many people living with MS, especially those who are unable to work. We know that times are tight for the NHS, but people with MS deserve access to the independence and dignity this treatment can bring.
- Linden Muirhead, Director of Information and Engagment
More about fampridine
Fampridine is licensed as a treatment for people with MS-related walking problems (EDSS 4-7). Fampridine does not work for everyone; in clinical trials approximately one third of participants have an average 25% improvement in the time taken to walk 25 feet compared with placebo.
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