NHS England has recommended prolonged-release fampridine as a routine treatment for adults with multiple sclerosis who experience walking impairment corresponding to an EDSS score between 4 and 7. The decision, announced on 23 July 2026, brings England into line with the rest of the United Kingdom and marks the first time a medicine designed specifically to improve walking in MS becomes widely accessible on the NHS.
Fampridine works by acting as a signal booster for nerves damaged by the condition. Taken as a tablet twice daily, it helps electrical messages travel more effectively to the muscles. Clinical trials showed it improved walking speed in 43 per cent of patients and allowed them to walk for longer distances.
Before this approval, support for MS-related walking difficulties in England relied mainly on physiotherapy, exercises, walking aids, devices to support the feet, and treatments for muscle stiffness. The new pharmacological option represents a concrete advance grounded in measured clinical benefit rather than broader systemic claims.
Walking difficulties can have a huge impact on the freedom and independence of people with multiple sclerosis. Fampridine could be life-changing for thousands of patients. It helps electrical messages travel along damaged nerves, giving people the chance to walk more easily and be more mobile for everyday things that matter to them. For some a modest improvement could mean getting around the house more easily, going out with greater confidence, and living more independently.
That assessment came from Professor Frankie Swords, NHS National Medical Director. His words capture the practical difference the drug can make for those whose daily movements have been steadily restricted by the disease.
Patients will begin with a trial of two to four weeks. Walking will be assessed before and after treatment, and fampridine will continue only where a clear benefit is shown, followed by regular reviews. Around 5,000 people with MS in England are estimated to be eligible in the first year. Eligibility requires normal kidney function and no history of seizures. More than 120,000 people live with multiple sclerosis across the country.
The clinical commissioning policy document was published on 16 July 2026. NHS England confirmed routine availability from the announcement date. The process followed standard appraisal routes that weighed patient benefit against value for money, an approach that prioritises evidence over haste.
