UK NHS making Gilenya mandatory if not responding to interferon injections - facebook prikbord

Oral MS drug piloted in North East is available on the NHS

Gilenya NHS funding for a groundbreaking drug piloted in the North East for patients with multiple sclerosis is now mandatory.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) has stipulated that adults with relapsing remitting MS not responding to treatment with first-line interferon injections should have access to fingolimod, an oral pill that cuts relapses by more than half compared to a standard injection.

Clinical trials that began in 2004 at the regional centre for the treatment of MS at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) has meant patients in the North East were among the first worldwide to try fingolimod.

Now all eligible patients should have access to the daily pill, which is proven to be twice as effective as a standard injection. Dr Martin Duddy, consultant neurologist at the RVI said: “A number of patients at our centre have already started treatment with fingolimod and we anticipate these numbers will increase over the coming months.

“Our patients are keen to get started on treatment and we are delighted to be one of the first centres in the UK to have our service up and running.

“It is an important step forward and it gives us another option in the treatment for MS patients.”

Fingolimod, which is also known by the brand name Gilenya, has taken many years to develop and 38,000 patients worldwide are already using the treatment.

In April this year, Nice approved it for use on the NHS, confirming it is a valuable, innovative and cost-effective therapy.

Following publication of final Nice guidance, the NHS is obliged to provide funding and resources for recommended treatments within three months.

Within the last month eight patients at the RVI have been prescribed fingolimod, and it is anticipated that an extra eight to 10 patients a month will be given the medication.

It is hoped that access to the treatment will help reverse the current trend highlighted by a 2010 report from leading expert Prof Mike Richards.

This showed that the UK is ranked 13th out of 14 countries when it comes to access to new treatments for MS.

MS is the most common neurological condition affecting young adults.

It is estimated that more than 100,000 people in the UK have the illness and it can occur at any age but is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 to 40.

In MS, white blood cells attack the coating of the nerve cells which help messages from the brain travel to the rest of the body.

As these cells are damaged, people experience symptoms such as numbness and tingling, blurred vision, mobility and balance problems, and muscle weakness and tightness.

Fingolimod works by preventing the white blood cells from attacking nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Angela Hamilton has suffered with the condition for 15 years and experiences pain and fatigue.

The 45-year-old, of South Shields, said the development to make NHS funding mandatory for fingolimod offered hope to those living with the debilitating condition.

“It is really brilliant news and it’s an excellent decision by Nice,” explained the policy and information officer.

“It’s helping to take away patient’s anxiety about the condition as you know that there is a treatment option available if you relapse.

“Anything that’s a step forward and a development in the type of medication and treatment offered is welcomed.”

We are delighted to be one of the first centres in the UK to have our service up and running