Hurricane's wife calls for better drugs in MS treatment

Published: 5:57AM Friday May 16, 2014 Source: Fairfax

Source: ONE News

The wife of Hurricanes midfielder Tim Bateman has pleaded for Pharmac funding of better multiple sclerosis drugs after the family were forced to shift to Japan to seek treatment for her.

Laura Bateman was diagnosed with the neurological disease last year and, after a tough few months, the couple and young daughters Shyla and Mylie decided to make the move to access treatment not available in New Zealand.

"I'd love to see a time in the near future where the best possible drugs become available right from the moment of diagnosis, not months of waiting for a certain threshold of deterioration to be met," she said.

The Batemans' plight has renewed the Multiple Sclerosis Society's call for drug-funding agency Pharmac to push through approval for superior drugs used overseas.

In Australia, the United States and Canada, drugs were prescribed at the first diagnosis, but in New Zealand signs of disability had to be shown before a drug such as beta-interferon was prescribed, MS Society committee member Neil Woodhams said.

Two forms of beta-interferon and another drug are funded by Pharmac for MS patients after a neurological assessment.

Overseas, a number of drugs were better than interferon, principally the much more potent - and expensive - natalizumab (brand name Tysabri), Woodhams said.

Pharmac is reviewing natalizumab alongside another drug, fingolimod (brand name Gilenya), under the recommendation of the agency's primary advisory committee, which considers the approval of both drugs a medium priority - but Woodhams said the treatments needed to be approved quicker.

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Hurricane's wife calls for better drugs in MS treatment