Health News

There is a new hope for multiple sclerosis patients. Last week as group of US researchers reported that an experimental drug, being developed by Acorda Therapeutics Inc., can improve walking ability in people with multiple sclerosis. The drug is called as Fampridin and it has already shown positive results in Phase 3 clinical trial.

During the study, the group of researchers led by Dr. Andrew Goodman of the University of Rochester Medical Center, tested a sustained-release formulation of the drug, Fampridine-SR, in 301 adult multiple sclerosis patients at 33 different locations in the U.S. and Canada. The drug was assigned to three quarter of the participants, while the rest took a placebo. After 14 weeks, the researchers found that about 25% of those patients who took Fampridine-SR experienced an improvement in their walking speed, compared to 5% of those taking the placebo.

“This study indicates that fampridine could represent an important new way to treat multiple sclerosis and perhaps become the first drug to improve certain symptoms of the disease,” said Andrew Goodman while publishing the findings of his study in the February 26 issue of journal ‘The Lancet’.

For your information, multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system, which is characterized by several neurological disabilities such as muscle weakness, gait difficulties, difficulty in balancing, blurred vision etc. Worldwide more than 2.5 million people are affected by this disease. With time, patients with multiple sclerosis experience a decline in mobility. So, if Fampridine can improve the speed of walking, it could boost confidence and the social value of a patient suffering from multiple sclerosis.

via: University of Rochester Medical Center (http://www.urmc.rochester.edu)

Trackback URI | Comments RSS