Thousands of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in England are to be offered a new ‘signal booster’ therapy on the NHS to help them walk more easily and live more independently.

Fampridine is the first medicine designed to improve walking in adults with MS and will now be routinely available on the NHS from today, NHS England has announced.

Taken as a pill twice a day, fampridine acts like a ‘signal booster’ for nerves damaged by MS, helping electrical messages travel more effectively to the muscles.

For some patients, an improvement in walking could make everyday tasks easier, from moving around the house and getting out independently to spending more time with family and friends.

MS is a lifelong neurological condition caused by damage to nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms vary but can include weakness, fatigue, loss of sensation, problems with balance and coordination, and difficulty walking.

Until now, support for MS-related walking difficulties has largely involved physiotherapy and exercises, walking aids, devices to support the feet and treatments to manage muscle stiffness.

Clinical trials found fampridine (Fampyra) improved walking speed in 43% of patients and also helped people walk for longer.

Patients will initially try the medicine for 2 to 4 weeks, with their walking assessed before and after treatment – with those who experience a clear benefit continuing to take it for as long as it keeps working, with regular reviews taking place.

It is estimated that around 5,000 people living with MS will be eligible in England in the first year.

Professor Frankie Swords, NHS National Medical Director, said: “Walking difficulties can have a huge impact on the freedom and independence of people with MS, so this signal-boosting pill could be life-changing for thousands of patients.

“Fampridine helps electrical messages travel along nerves damaged by MS, giving people the chance to walk more easily and helping them be more mobile to do more of the everyday things that matter to them.

“For some, even a modest improvement could mean getting around the house more easily, going out with greater confidence and living more independently.”

Professor James Palmer, National Medical Director for Specialised Services at NHS England, said: “For people with MS who have spent years relying on physiotherapy, walking aids or help from others, having access to a one-of-a-kind treatment specifically for walking difficulties offers real hope of greater independence.

“Thousands of patients will now be able to try fampridine on the NHS, with treatment continuing where it makes a clear difference to their mobility and daily lives.”

Aysen Slack, 65, from Eastbourne lives with MS. Over the past few years it has been progressing more quickly, affecting her mobility. When she found out about fampridine a few years ago, she started paying for it privately. Unfortunately, the cost wasn’t feasible in the long-term, so she stopped taking the drug.

Aysen said: “It’s such great news that fampridine will be available for people on the NHS in England. Fampridine seemed to be working well for me, but paying for the medication was a significant expense and I could not keep doing that forever. So I had to make the difficult decision to stop taking it.

“I would definitely like to try fampridine again on the NHS. My mobility has decreased a lot and even in my flat I have to use sticks now. It would make a huge difference to my life if I were able to improve my walking.”

The drug will be available for adults with any type of MS whose walking difficulties are assessed as having an Expanded Disability Status Scale score of between 4 (able to walk without aid or rest for around 500 metres) and 7 (unable to walk further than 5 metres and largely restricted to a wheelchair).

The rollout follows a rigorous assessment by NHS England’s Clinical Priorities Advisory Group – which reviews specialist medicines, devices and treatments according to their benefit for patients and value for money – and brings access in England in line with other UK nations.

Ceri Smith, Head of Policy and Evidence at the MS Society, said: “We’re delighted that fampridine has now been approved for use on the NHS. Over 120,000 people live with MS in England and Fampridine is the only licensed treatment that helps improve walking ability and speed for some of these people.

“For many of them, it’s life-changing, allowing them to live more independently or stay in employment. It’s vital that MS services now have the support they need to make fampridine available to all people with MS who could benefit from it, regardless of where in England they live.”

NHS England’s Clinical Priorities Advisory Group looks at drugs and treatments that are not being assessed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; for example, where they are not licensed for the clinical indication in question.