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NHS Adds Fampridine, Helps 5,000 MS Walkers

7/23/2026

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Summary

NHS Introduces Fampridine

England's NHS is adding fampridine, the first drug to help multiple sclerosis patients walk.
Clinical trials showed 43 percent of users improved walking speed and could walk longer distances.
NHS national medical director Prof Frankie Swords said the pill could be life-changing for thousands, while MS Society policy head Ceri Smith called it life-changing for independence and employment.

Summary

NHS Funds Fampridine

Fampridine, once denied by NHS England on cost grounds, is now funded for MS patients in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The NHS rollout will limit prescriptions to patients with an Expanded Disability Status Scale score of four to seven, require a two-to-four-week trial and mandate clinical review before supply.
The criteria mean about 5,000 of England’s more than 120,000 MS patients will receive the drug each year.

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NHS Introduces Fampridine

England's NHS is adding fampridine, the first drug to help multiple sclerosis patients walk.
Clinical trials showed 43 percent of users improved walking speed and could walk longer distances.
NHS national medical director Prof Frankie Swords said the pill could be life-changing for thousands, while MS Society policy head Ceri Smith called it life-changing for independence and employment.

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