Key Facts

• The drug fampridine is being made available on the NHS in England for patients with multiple sclerosis, with up to 5,000 people expected to benefit each year.
• Fampridine works by boosting nerve signals to make it easier for some people to move and live independently, with clinical trials showing around four in 10 people taking the drug had improvements in their walking speed and in how long they could walk for.
• Multiple sclerosis is caused by the immune system attacking the protective covering around nerve cells, known as myelin, which impairs the ability of nerves to carry electrical messages from the brain to the rest of the body.
• Aysen Slack, a 65-year-old woman from Eastbourne, used to pay privately for fampridine until it became too costly, and she had to stop taking it, but now she is hopeful that the NHS will provide it again.
• Patients will try the medicine for up to a month and only those showing "clear benefit" will be able to continue taking it, with current NHS support for MS patients including physiotherapy and walking aids.