Scottish patients with a severe form of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis will become the first in the UK to get routine access to Novartis’ once daily pill Gilenya (fingolimod).

The Scottish Medicines Consortium has become the first UK body to endorse an oral, first-line treatment for rapidly evolving severe relapsing remitting MS on the National health Service, giving patients access to a drug which has been shown to cut the risk of relapses by 67% compared to placebo.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is planning to review Gilenya alongside a range of other MS treatments next year, leaving the decision on whether patients in England have NHS access in local hands for now.

For more details, go to: http://www.pharmatimes.com/Article/14-10-13/Novartis_MS_pill_heads_stream_of_SMC_approvals.aspx