Source MS Society:
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has licensed cladribine (also known as Mavenclad) to treat people with highly active relapsing MS.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will now decide whether to make it available on the NHS in England and Wales. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) will decide for Scotland.
How does it work? Cladribine is currently used as an anti-cancer drug. In MS, the body’s own immune cells mistakenly attack the myelin that protects nerve cell fibres. Cladribine works by reducing the number of immune cells in the body, which should reduce the damage to myelin.
Cladribine is taken as two courses of tablets, one year apart. Read on.