Will Mavenclad soon be available for everyone with relapsing remitting MS?

Disease modifying therapy Mavenclad (cladribine) has had its prescribing label extended to include treating people with active relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in Britain. Previously, and as is still the case in the rest of Europe, the drug is only approved for people with highly active disease.

Mavenclad has been available across the UK since 2017. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, t can be prescribed if your MS remains active while taking another disease modifying therapy, or if you have very active MS. This means that you have had two or more disabling relapses in one year and MRI evidence of new areas of MS activity.

Evidence from both clinical trials and post-approval studies has shown a favourable risk-benefit profile of Mavenclad for RRMS. The next hurdle is for Merck Healthcare, the makers of the drug, to work with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Medical Consortium to have the treatment approved for use on the NHS.