Breakthrough for MS victims as pills set to replace jabs

Published on Wednesday 29 April 2009 22:41

A PILL that treats the most common form of multiple sclerosis (MS) could soon be available for the first time.

Currently sufferers have to receive regular injections to control their condition.

The new treatment, cladribine, is a tablet form of a drug already used to treat certain types of leukaemia.

Results of a trial presented in the US today showed that taking just a few cladribine pills a year could reduce the chances of MS patients relapsing by more than 50 per cent.

The treatment also had few side-effects, unlike the injected version of the same drug given to cancer patients which can lead to anaemia, easy bruising and bleeding, and infections.

In Scotland, it is estimated that there are 10,500 people with MS – thought to be among the highest rates in the world.

A spokesman for the MS Society charity described the research as a "huge step forward".

An application to license the treatment for use in the UK is expected imminently. Whether or not NHS patients have access to it depends on the drug getting a green light from the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

However, the fact that cladribine is already used for a different condition could speed up its availability.

The disease is caused by the body's immune system attacking nerves in the brain and spinal cord. MS destroys the insulation round nerve fibres, made from a fatty material called myelin, which helps the transmission of nerve messages. Loss of myelin can lead to problems with vision, muscle control, balance and memory.

In the trial, cladribine – marketed for leukaemia patients under the trade name Leustat – was used to treat "relapsing-remitting" MS, the most common form of the disease suffered by 65 per cent of patients. It is characterised by alternating periods during which symptoms come and go.

The new study involved more than 1,300 MS sufferers whose progress was followed for nearly two years. Patients were randomly given either two or four treatment courses of cladribine tablets per year, or an inactive "dummy" placebo.

Each course consisted of a daily pill for four or five days, adding up to eight to 20 days of treatment each year.

Patients were monitored using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans which can reveal sites of nerve damage.

Those taking cladribine were more than 55 per cent less likely to suffer a relapse than those on the placebo pill. They were also 30 per cent less likely to suffer worsening disability due to MS.

Professor Gavin Giovannoni, from Queen Mary, University of London, the trial's chief researcher, said: "These results are really exciting. MS can be a very debilitating illness and at the moment treatment options remain limited. Having an effective oral therapy will have a major impact for people with MS."

Dr Lee Dunster, head of research at the MS Society, said: "These are remarkable results and being able to take a tablet instead of having injections will be a huge step forward."