The FDA just approved a new multiple sclerosis drug called Ampyra. The drug (also known as Fampridine-SR) helps some patients walk faster.
Trouble walking is a serious problem for many MS patients. But only a minority of patients seem to benefit from Ampyra. In one study, 35% of people who took the drug showed improved walking speed, compared with 8% of those who took a placebo. In another study, 43% of patients showed improvement, compared with 9% who took a placebo.
Still, an FDA advisory panel voted last fall that the drug “demonstrated substantial evidence of effectiveness as a treatment to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis,” and that “there are conditions under which fampridine could be considered safe.”
Side effects include urinary tract infection, insomnia and dizziness, among other problems, the FDA said. Ampyra was developed by a small company called Acorda Therapeutics. Biogen Idec, which also sells the MS drug Tysabri, will sell the drug outside of the U.S.