New Ampyra Trial Bolsters MS Efficacy Claims

Stuart SchlossmanAlternative therapies and devices for Multiple Sclerosis (MS)


                                                                  

  


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Walking ability, as reported by patients, significantly improved




LONDON — The only drug approved to improve mobility in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients — dalfampridine (Ampyra) — has long been plagued by doubts about its efficacy, but a randomized trial reported here suggests that the drug genuinely does produce clinically significant improvements in walking ability.


In the 633-patient, 24-week study, 43.2% of those receiving dalfampridine (known simply as fampridine outside the U.S.) showed improvement of at least 8 points on the 12-point, patient-reported MS Walking Scale (MSWS), compared with 33.6% of the placebo group (P=0.006), reported Jeremy Hobart, BSc, PhD, of Plymouth University in England.









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