We won’t stop until Sativex is available across England
We've launched the second phase of our Sativex campaign. Take action now to help make Sativex available to everyone who's eligible.
Many eligible people with MS are still being denied access to Sativex because their local health bodies aren't funding it.
This isn’t right. So we’re speaking up, and we need you to join us in calling for change.
An end to the postcode lottery
Sativex is a cannabis-based spray. It was approved in England in 2019 for use in moderate to severe spasticity when other treatments haven’t worked.
In 2021, we launched a campaign calling for an end to the Sativex postcode lottery. Thousands of us wrote to our local health bodies, and we saw some great results. By June 2022, the number of CCGs who state they routinely fund Sativex increased by 45%.
This is great news. However, this improvement makes it all the more unfair that some local health bodies are still not making Sativex available to those who qualify.
Sativex can be life changing
Spasticity can be debilitating. It often means people are unable to leave the house, can’t sleep, and it can lead to significant injuries and falls due to the severity of the spasms.
We spoke to Amanda in Cambridge who described how her MS diagnosis in 2005 has impacted her life: ‘Since then my life has got smaller and more restricted. I have had to change careers to something with less stress and a shorter journey which means my salary has almost halved.’
Although it’s not a “wonder drug”, for some people, Sativex can be life changing. We believe everyone who's eligible should get a chance to try Sativex, if their doctor thinks it’s right for them.
Michael from Newcastle, who lives with MS, has found Sativex to be ‘priceless’. He said 'since taking the drug my spasms are reduced considerably and I now regularly get a full night’s sleep, a godsend for not only me but my wife too’.
Take our campaign action
For the next stage of our campaign we’re calling for change from the remaining local health bodies who aren't yet routinely funding Sativex for eligible people with MS.
You can support people living with MS to get this potentially life-changing treatment in a few short steps:
- Enter your postcode on our online tool
- Check if your local health body prescribes Sativex
- Call for change and spread the word
More information on Sativex
For healthcare professionals, we have a range of resources to support you and your local MS team to set up all the processes needed to prescribe Sativex.
For more information contact [email protected].
Do you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland? Visit our campaign page for information on Sativex availability.
