Multiple sclerosis sufferers pay up to 600 per month for life-changing drugs that are available on the NHS in Wales or Scotland, but not in England.Charities estimate that there are tens of thousands of MS patients who have not received fampridine. This medication can help improve walking and decrease the chance of falling.Patients in England are being forced to live with MSs, which can cause problems with vision, arm movement and sensation, because of the British postcode lottery.Senior Labour MP, Dame Margaret Hodge, has written to Sajid Javid, the health secretary, to ask him to make sure that medication is accessible to all who need it.After Steven Brooks, her constituent, was unable to walk after receiving fampridine in a clinical trial. However, his health declined after the trial ended. His hospital couldn't provide it.Phillip Anderson, head of policy at MS Society, stated that it is unfair for people with MS to be denied access to fampridine, a potentially life-changing treatment, based solely on their location in the UK.MS can be disabling, persistent, and painful. However, we know that this treatment can help to manage MS fatigue and walk better.This disparity in access is due to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which advises the NHS and government in England, believing that fampridine doesn't represent value for money. However, its equivalent bodies in Wales and Scotland recommend it.According to the MS Society, about 40,000 MS patients in England cannot receive the drug because of Nices ruling. It has been obtained by about 200 people on the NHS. They did so after filing an individual funding request and appealing against the denial of expensive treatment.The society claims that they are only 0.5% of the people who could benefit from a better walking ability and life quality if they were able to get fampridine through the NHS.Biogen, the company that makes the medication, claims that a greater number of people in England, around 65,000, could benefit from the drug if they were able to access it. Another 3,000 could be obtained in Northern Ireland.According to the MS Trust, patients pay between 200 and 600 per month privately for the drug.David Martin, chief executive of the trust, stated that people living with MS in England are faced with difficult decisions about whether or not to pay for medication they could receive for free elsewhere in the UK. The MS Trust doesn't think this is fair.We are aware that fampridine can be a lifesaver for some MS patients who have walking problems. The MS Trust would like to see equal access to this treatment in the UK.Hodge wrote to Javid asking why NHS England could not get a discount on the price of the drug from Biogen, after the Scottish NHS had reached a deal to guarantee its availability.It is unacceptable that NHS England fails to provide free access to fampridine and is lagging behind. My constituent's life has been severely affected by this postcode lottery created by MS sufferers.Nice has updated its guidance regarding MS treatment. This is what charities and patients hope will result in the drug being made free on the NHS. This is expected to happen in 2022.The Department of Health and Social Care stated that it sympathizes with those who are denied the drug, but supported Nices' decision.A spokesperson stated that we want all patients to have access first-rate, innovative medicine and to sympathise with those with complex conditions such as multiple sclerosis.Nice is renowned for its ability to identify effective treatments at a fair price. They concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the recommendation of this medicine over other effective treatments.We want to assure people that Nice continues to review its guidelines. It is currently reviewing its recommendations regarding fampridine, and will publish updated guidelines next year.
