Families ramp up campaign to have multiple sclerosis drug Fampyra listed on Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

Sufferers from progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) are ramping up a campaign to have a new drug listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) when its Advisory Committee meets next month.

Having trouble walking is a common symptom of MS, and the drug Fampyra is a potassium blocker designed to help those with MS to get around more easily.

Two years ago there was an application to list the drug on the PBS but it was knocked back on the basis of unclear clinical evidence or cost effectiveness.

The decision means Fampyra is available in Australia, but costs around $600 per month.

Victorian woman Brenda Fisher's husband Mark was diagnosed with progressive MS in 1996, when the couple had three children, aged seven, four and two.

Ms Fisher says the symptoms developed aggressively.

"He's suddenly turning 37 and having to retire from work, and then it hits you - that this is actually going to be the rest of our life," Ms Fisher said.

Ms Fisher became her husband's carer as he gradually lost mobility. These days, he does not leave the house.

"He hasn't walked in quite a few years. He struggles to stand, has to be assisted, relies on me totally for every part of his function in a day," she said.

Next month the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee will meet, and on the agenda for a second look is the possible listing of Fampyra on the PBS.

Originally posted here:
Families ramp up campaign to have multiple sclerosis drug Fampyra listed on Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme