A CHARITY which represents people with MS has criticised a decision to deny approval of a new drug for treating the condition.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) - the regulator which approves new treatments and drugs for use by the NHS in England and Wales - has provisionally decided not to recommend ozanimod – a new, oral treatment for people with relapsing MS .

The treatment would have been used to help those with relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Oral treatments for this form of the condition are limited and the MS Society says ozanimod could have benefitted from a "new, more convenient alternative".

Ozanimod is a tablet taken daily and is similar to an existing treatment called fingolimod, in that it is thought to act by trapping certain immune cells (T cells) in the body’s lymph nodes.

In Phase 3 clinical trials, ozanimod was compared to an older disease modifying treatment (interferon beta-1a) already used on patients. The trial showed that people given the new drug had fewer relapses than patients given the older drug. Disability scores were similar.

The decision by NICE is not final and the MS Society hope it will be overturned.

They will be providing feedback and encouraging the regulator to rethink its decision.

Joint Coordinator of the MS Society's East Cumbria Group, Teresa Attwood said: "The decision is disappointing, not least because while various treatments are currently available for Relapsing Remitting MS, oral options are limited, so people could benefit quite significantly from having access to a more convenient alternative.

"Nevertheless, if this isn't NICE’s final decision, and there remains the possibility to review further evidence, together with financial considerations, then there's hope that NICE's initial view may ultimately be reversed, as has happened in the past."

The Appraisal Consultation Document (ACD) can be viewed at tinyurl.com/yf8rweum