FDA Committee Recommends MS Drug
FDA Committee Recommends MS Drug
An FDA committee recently recommended that Ampriva (fampridine)
be approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). According to
various news reports, this new MS treatment improves the way MSdamaged
nerves work. Existing drugs used for this condition only slow
progression of MS and target MS symptoms. In clinical trials, more than
30% of those with MS who took Ampriva experienced improvements in
their walking speed compared to those in these studies who took a placebo
(false drug). Researchers associated with the findings refer to the
improvements observed as rather modest, but described as important to
persons in the study and their family members.
MS is an often debilitating condition in which the body’s immune
system attacks myelin, the protective fatty substance that surrounds
nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. This disrupts messages that
travel along the nerve pathways which leads to numbness and weakness,
typically occurring on one side of the body. Other symptoms may include
fatigue, tingling or pain in parts of the body, and visual difficulties.