Multiple Sclerosis Charity 'Bitterly Disappointed' at Tysabri No
"LONDON, December 11 -- The MS Society is 'bitterly disappointed' after the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) advised health professionals not to prescribe Tysabri - the only drug licensed for multiple sclerosis (MS) that has shown significant promise in slowing the progression of disability.

Reacting to today's announcement, Mark Hazelwood, Director of the MS Society Scotland, said: "We are bitterly disappointed that the SMC has decided not to fund Tysabri on the NHS, despite acknowledging that the clinical case was sound. This means people with the most aggressive form of relapsing remitting MS now have little or no option.

"No other drug has shown this potential to reduce disability, and any short-term savings are likely to be outpaced by the devastating financial costs of living with severe, progressive disability - not to mention the emotional costs to people with MS and their friends and families."

For people with severe relapsing remitting MS who do not respond to beta interferon, or to glatiramer acetate, there had been no licensed and effective treatment options until now. Tysabri had been welcomed as an important breakthrough and compared with current treatments had shown an impressive reduction in relapse rates and a significant reduction in the risk of disability progression.MORE