NHS to offer take-at-home tablet

Thousands of NHS patients in the UK with multiple sclerosis (MS) will immediately provide “go home” tablets to manage their condition and save hospital visits for injections or injections.

Cladribine can help people with active relapsing-remitting versions with more severe, highly active MS, as well as more severe, highly active MS, the body of drug advisors says.

Expanding access to drugs should give more patients freedom from hospitals and free clinic time, experts say.

The NHS is the first healthcare system to deploy treatment in Europe.

Nice is expected to issue final guidance to the UK in April, and is likely to access Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland is considering that too.

There are over 150,000 people in the UK who live with MS, a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord.

Although it is currently not curable, treatment can slow the illness and relieve symptoms.

Trials have shown that cladribine can reduce the number and severity of recurrences.

Drugs target specific immune cells involved in MS inflammation and myelin damage.

It is given in two treatment courses 12 months apart. This means that the patient will take approximately 20 tablets at home.

The list price is around £2,000 per tablet, but it’s not clear how much the NHS is paying, as the NHS can negotiate discounts with drug companies.

It is estimated that approximately 2,000 patients will be able to provide treatment in the first three years.

Clare Elgar, 37, from Southampton, took cladribine for her recurrent MS. This was diagnosed in January 2021 after experiencing loss of right arm function and numbness throughout the face.

Claire said: “Being able to receive treatment from home means maintaining everyday life and not having to travel to hospital. I’m excited that the new standards will give others like me the opportunity to benefit from this life-changing medication.”

“This decision could particularly benefit people, like young working-age adults, who struggle to be hospitalized regularly,” said Laura Thomas, policy director for MS Society.

Thomas said it is safe to become pregnant after six months after the final course of treatment, which benefits patients considering starting a family.

“We are very pleased that many people at MS will be able to choose effective treatments that suit their lifestyle.”