Cost vs quality of life - UK EDITORIAL - The Herald
Scotland has, unfortunately, written itself into the MS textbooks because it has the highest proportion of people suffering from the degenerative condition in the world. Why this should be so is not clear. MS has ill-defined genetic links that do not point to a recognisable hereditary pattern. But it seems there might be links between climate, the effects of smoking and MS.

Since science has yet to uncover what causes MS, a process which, when successfully completed, should open the door on a cure, it is imperative that treatments are developed and made available to improve the outlook for patients (in Scotland there are more than 10,400 with the condition). Drugs are available on prescription that reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. One drug, Tysabri, has been licensed for use in Britain, the United States and Europe which has been proved to be effective in alleviating the impact of some of the most severe forms of MS. It is estimated that some 10% of MS sufferers in Scotland could benefit from receiving Tysabri on prescription.

However, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) decided yesterday that the drug should not be prescribed on the NHS. Its reasons were economic. Tysabri costs some £15,000 a year for each patient. Prescribing the drug