MS Society calls for earlier treatment of patients

People with the most common form of multiple sclerosis (MS) should be prescribed medication at an earlier stage, according to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The charity has called for an end to the wait-and-see approach to treating relapsing-remitting MS, as it believes that patients would benefit from receiving drug therapies as soon as possible post-diagnosis.

A recent review of existing evidence suggested relapsing-remitting MS can cause underlying progressive damage to the nervous system, caused by attacks from the patient's immune system, which drugs may be able to prevent or postpone.

Michelle Mitchell, the Multiple Sclerosis Society's chief executive, said: "In the UK, the most common treatment option for MS in its early stages is currently no treatment and this needs to change for the sake of tens of thousands of people's health."

Current guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence does not recommend early use of disease-modifying therapies due to the risk of potential long-term side-effects and consequences.

The regulator plans to publish a new appraisal of drugs used to treat MS in 2017.