News - August 2006
Open Door - August 2006 page 4
- Prime Minister questioned about threat to MS nurse posts
- IV steroids - home or away?
- Tysabri licensed
Prime Minister questioned about threat to MS nurse posts
The campaign to save threatened MS specialist nursing posts reached Prime Minister's questions in parliament in June.
David Cameron expressed concern that the financial problems in the NHS would cause long-term damage to services and quoted the MS Trust's survey that showed a quarter of MS specialist nursing posts are under threat. He also drew attention to MS Trust funded research that shows that even after deducting employment costs, an MS nurse saves the NHS over £64,000 per year in avoidable hospital admissions.
In reply, the Prime Minister warned that difficult financial decisions were being made to ensure that NHS trusts are able to balance their books.
The exchange demonstrates the need to maintain awareness of the continuing threat to MS services. However, the good news is that the pressure is paying off in some areas and we know of two nurses who are no longer facing the threat of redundancy.
How you can help
Thank you to everyone who has helped so far by contacting the MS Trust. If you would like to support this campaign, visit the Campaigns section or contact us on 01462 476700 or email the MS Trust.
IV steroids - home or away?
Intravenous (IV) steroids are routinely used to treat disabling relapses in multiple sclerosis, and can be administered in an out-patient or home setting.
The results of a study funded by the MS Trust and published recently in the Lancet Neurology demonstrated that people with MS preferred to have IV steroids at home; that IV steroids were equally safe and effective in either location; and that cost at home was either the same or lower than in hospital.
This study represents another piece of the jigsaw in the development of services for managing relapses. It shows that rapid and effective access to treatment in relapse is critical and it puts patient choice at the centre of the decision about relapse care. The MS Trust is delighted to have funded this important study and will be working with the researchers at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery to promote these findings as part of a national drive to develop services for the management of relapses.
Chataway J, et al.
Home versus outpatient administration of intravenous steroids for multiple sclerosis relapses: a randomised controlled trial.
Lancet Neurology 2006;5(7):565-571.
Tysabri licensed
On 29 June, the European Commission approved Tysabri as a disease modifying therapy for relapsing/ remitting MS to prevent relapses and delay progression of disability.
Tysabri has shown dramatic results in the treatment of MS. However, concerns were raised when there were two cases, one fatal, of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in people who had received the drug in combination with Avonex (interferon beta-1a) as part of a two-year clinical trial.
The licence was approved for Tysabri to be used as a single therapy for:
People who have failed to respond to a course of beta interferon. People should have had at least one relapse in the previous year while on therapy, and have evidence of lesions on their MRI scan.
People with rapidly evolving, severe relapsing remitting MS, defined by two or more disabling relapses in one year and with evidence of increasing lesions on two consecutive MRI scans.
NICE has indicated that it will assess Tysabri through its rapid assessment process.
- For more information, the MS Trust's Tysabri factsheet can be ordered or downloaded from the Publications section.
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Disclaimer
Open Door articles are reproduced as published. They are not updated to take account of subsequent developments. Use appropriate caution in acting on the information in any article.