Following the re-examination of its previous negative opinion, the European Medicines Agency has granted fampridine a conditional marketing authorisation; i.e. it has been licensed in Europe to improve the walking of PwMS who have walking disability.
Click here to read the EMA’s press release
“Common sense rules the day!”
CoI: I have acted as a consultant for Biogen-Idec in relation to the EMA’s orginal negative opinion.
Good news 🙂
OK, that is good news but when is it likely to be available so that it could help people like me who have a walking disability
The fact that it is now licensed in Europe means that it will be available within the next few weeks to months. However, in the UK it will have to be assessed to be cost-effective by NICE before it is available under the NHS. This process typically takes an additional 6 to 12 months.
This drug fampridine is now available in the UK, although it has not been appraised by nice and therefore the individual has to pay for the drug. Your neurologist is the person to speak to about making (IFR-individual funding requests) to the PCT.In the meantime you can ask your MS nurse as to the cost of funding this medication on your own basis.
This is not the way the NHS is meant to work. Why should person X be allowed fampridine because they can afford it and person Y be denied treatment because they can't afford it? This is worse than post code prescribing. The NHS is meant to prevent this occurring. The UK is becoming more like the US by the day. It is very depressing.
How much does fampradine cost for a patient to buy privately
in a response to the previous blog, I as a retired nurse cannot say that my pension is excessive but I have chosen to persist with self funding of this medication until nice appraises it. Hopefully, it will become available on the NHS as it certainly is helping with my PPMS.I understand the qualms regarding the expenditure involved. As we have grown up with the notion of it being free at the point of delivery. However, until this medication is appraised and accepted by nice to be funded on the NHS. Then people are left with this decision of self funding as a way forward.
hello everybody, and a festive time for the appraising this drug, fampridine. I understand that the actual cost has been reduced and therefore making it more marketable in the UK. Hopefully in the New Year. Nice will have given it's approval and that the drug becomes available on the NHS. I understand that it will be continued to be prescribed and supervised in secondary care setting by neurology services. This is understandable as it is not feasible to be monitored in the primary care setting.I will continue to advocate the instigation of this Novell drug, which I see this being as a fundamental treatment right for those that are affected by PPMS.