Online Pharmacy: Medicine Improves Walking for Some People with Multiple Sclerosis

Oct 12, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- (NAPSW)--More than 400,000 people in the U.S. and nearly 2.5 million people worldwide are living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic, disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system. For many people living with MS, the disease affects their ability to walk. In a 2008 Harris Interactive survey, commissioned by Acorda Therapeutics, of people living with MS, fully 70 percent of people with MS who have difficulty walking reported it to be the most challenging aspect of MS.

There is a medication that can help. AMPYRA (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets, 10 mg is the first and only drug approved as a treatment to improve walking in patients with MS. This was demonstrated by an increase in walking speed.

Data from the clinical trials of AMPYRA show that patients treated with AMPYRA can improve walking ability even when symptoms are first beginning.

Lisa Green was diagnosed with MS in 1998. She now takes AMPYRA. "I first noticed problems with my walking in 2009. It took me more time to do simple things like walking my dog or going grocery shopping. I talked to my doctor and with treatment, my walking improved. I didn't realize how much my walking impairment was affecting my daily activities."

Between 35 and 43 percent of people with MS who were treated with AMPYRA in clinical trials showed a consistent improvement in walking. The average increase in walking speed for people who responded to therapy was about 25 percent. Even people with MS who have mild walking difficulty or are early in their disease course can potentially benefit from AMPYRA. AMPYRA can be taken by people with any of the four major types of MS and can be used with or without other approved MS therapies (e.g., disease modifying drugs).

The Harris Interactive survey also found that 94 percent of patients who reported walking impairment find it at least somewhat disruptive to their overall daily life, with 63 percent finding it very disruptive or disruptive.

"Walking difficulty is a common symptom of MS, but many patients don't discuss it with their doctors at all or until their ability to walk becomes significantly impaired. It's important for MS patients who have difficulty walking, even if it's mild, to discuss it with their doctors, as proper identification and treatment of symptoms may improve walking and help maximize functioning," said Dr. Mark Tullman, the director of clinical research at the MS Center for Innovations in Care at Missouri Baptist Medical Center.

Important Safety Information:

AMPYRA can cause seizures; the risk of seizures increases with increasing AMPYRA doses. AMPYRA is contraindicated in patients with a prior history of seizure. Discontinue AMPYRA use if seizure occurs.

AMPYRA is contraindicated in patients with moderate or severe renal impairment (CrCl less-than or equal to 50 mL/min); the risk of seizures in patients with mild renal impairment (CrCl 51--80 mL/min) is unknown, but AMPYRA plasma levels in these patients may approach those seen at a dose of 15 mg twice, a dose that may be associated with an increased risk of seizures; estimated CrCl should be known before initiating treatment with AMPYRA.

AMPYRA should not be taken with other forms of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, fampridine) since the active ingredient is the same.

Urinary tract infections were reported more frequently as adverse reactions in patients receiving AMPYRA 10 mg twice daily compared to placebo.

The most common adverse events (incidence greater-than or equal to to 2 percent and at a rate greater than the placebo rate) for AMPYRA in MS patients were urinary tract infection, insomnia, dizziness, headache, nausea, asthenia, back pain, balance disorder, multiple sclerosis relapse, paresthesia, nasopharyngitis, constipation, dyspepsia and pharyngolaryngeal pain.