MS drug Gilenya now available on NHS

A new drug to treat MS, Gilenya (aka fingolimod), should now be offered on the NHS in England and Wales. It can be used by people with highly active relapsing remitting MS.

Three months

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence announced back in April that the NHS would have to provide the treatment to anyone with relapsing remitting MS, who has not responded to beta interferon injections.

Health authorities in England and Wales have had three months to make the pill available to those that meet the criteria following the guidance from NICE, which advises the NHS on treatments and care. Any authority not providing the treatment will be in breech of NHS Constitution.

Equal access

Laura Weir, Head of Policy & Campaigns at the MS Society, said: “People with MS should have equal access to treatment that is right for them, regardless of where they live, so this is good news for many with relapsing remitting MS. It is a legal right to access treatments recommended by NICE and people with MS should be able to discuss their treatment options with an MS specialist to find out if this treatment is a suitable option for them."

Contact us

38,000 patients around the world are already being treated with the drug. That includes nearly 5,000 people in Germany, which received the licence for the treatment at the same time as the UK.

We want to know if you are having trouble accessing treatments - contact our campaigns team and tell us your story. Our campaigns guides are a good place to start and will help you understand what treatments are available.