Thousands denied drug that slows effects of MS

THOUSANDS of patients are to be denied a breakthrough drug for multiple sclerosis after officials decided it was too expensive.

Described as a ‘game changer’ by scientists, ocrelizumab is the first-ever drug to be shown to effectively treat primary progressive MS – a form of the disease that affects 15,000 people in Britain.

But NHS rationing watchdog NICE said the £9,600 price tag for each six-monthly dose did not match the benefits it provides.

The drug was tested in hospitals across the UK in a huge clinical trial three years ago and slowed the progress of the disease by 24 per cent over just 12 weeks. Experts say this delays the need for a wheelchair by an average of seven years.

The drug, taken as an intravenous drip, has already been approved by 65 other countries around the world, and more than 50,000 people have been treated globally.

NICE is expected to approve the drug’s use for those who suffer temporary symptoms, or relapses, but campaigners are dismayed at its rejection for the primary progressive form as there are no other treatments.