Multiple Sclerosis: First Drug to Help Patients Walk Now in England’s NHS

Aysen Slack, 65, from Eastbourne, chose to pay for the drugs privately after hearing about them.

“Fampridine has been working well for me,” she said, but “it cost a lot and I couldn’t keep that up forever,” so she had to stop.

Slack said it was “great news” that the drug was coming to the NHS and she “definitely wants to try it”.

“My mobility has decreased so much that even in my apartment I now have to use crutches,” she said.

More than 120,000 people in England live with MS. However, only about 5,000 people a year qualify — the size of a walking handicap.

Patients try the drug for a month and only those who show “clear benefit” can continue taking the drug.

Professor Frankie Siefs, NHS National Medical Director, said: “As walking problems have a huge impact on the freedom and independence of people with MS, this symptom-boosting pill could be life-changing for thousands of patients.

“Even a modest improvement can mean getting around the house with ease, going out with confidence, and living independently.”

Ceri Smith, from the MS Society, said they were “delighted” by the news as the drug would be “life-changing” for many, allowing people to “live more independently or stay in work”.