In its final guidance the National Institute for Health and Clincial Excellence (NICE) recommends that the NHS provides fingolimod – the first pill-based medicine to help reduce the number of relapses – for some adults who have highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
RRMS is the most common type of the condition, estimated to affect around 27,500 people in England and Wales, and is characterised by periods when symptoms worsen and then improve. Treatments to manage relapses are generally administered by injection, whereas fingolimod is administered orally. NICE specifically recommends fingolimod for adults who have an unchanged or increased relapse rate or ongoing severe relapses compared to the previous year, despite taking beta interferons. People with RRMS who are currently receiving fingolimod, but whose disease does not meet these criteria, should be able to continue treatment until they and their doctors consider it appropriate to stop. The positive recommendation only applies if the manufacturer of the drug is able to provide it at a confidential discounted price.
