Multiple sclerosis

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) has become the first treatment for primary proressive MS to be approved in Scotland – following its approval in England last year. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has given the green light for the drug to be prescribed by the NHS for people with early inflammatory primary progressive MS. As reported by the MS Trust, this includes patients with:

• Symptoms of primary progressive MS for less than 15 years and
• An ability to walk at least 20 metres, with or without walking aids and
• Evidence of MS inflammatory activity on MRI scans.

Siponimod, a tablet taken once daily to treat secondary progressive MS (SPMS), is currently under investigation by NICE to assess whether it should be available via an NHS prescription in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland will carry out separate appraisals. National charity the MS Trust plans to make a compelling case to NICE in favour of the drug being available on the NHS – and needs input from people with MS and those who work with MS patients.

The UK MS Register, based at Swansea University, was established in 2011 as the first nationwide register of its kind. It seeks to gather information from people with MS about what it’s like to live day-to-day with the condition. This information provides rich, anonymised data for the purposes of medical research, which could unlock some of the mysteries behind the disease.