Multiple sclerosis pill rejected by Nice

A new potential treatment for multiple sclerosis has been rejected by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice).

Fingolimod, the first pill-based multiple sclerosis treatment, was not considered a cost-effective use of NHS resources by the medicines watchdog, disappointing thousands of patients who do not respond to current medications.

Preliminary marketing approval was given to Fingolimod by EU regulators earlier this year, but the Nice judgement means patients are likely to have to pay for their prescription in full if they want to take it.

"Access to MS treatments in the UK is very poor," said MS Society chief executive Simon Gillespie.

"People with MS would be better off living almost anywhere else in Europe, and this decision will only deepen that inequality."

It follows news that more than £600,000 has been donated to Franchay Hospital in Bristol to fund research into the use of stem cells as a treatment for multiple sclerosis.

Read about Barchester expertise in offering multiple sclerosis support.