More people with MS will have the option to take cladribine following a recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
The new recommendation says anyone with relapsing remitting MS who is having relapses or new disease activity visible on MRI scans (known as active MS) may be eligible for cladribine. Previously, it was only prescribed to people with more severe active relapsing remitting MS (known as ‘highly active’ MS).
Cladribine is a disease modifying therapy (DMT) taken as a tablet. You take it as a tablet in two courses. Each treatment course consists of two treatment weeks, one at the beginning of the first month and one at the beginning of the second month. This is then repeated a year later. Cladribine works by killing certain types of blood cells made by your immune system. These white blood cells (or lymphocytes) are called T and B cells.
If you’re unsure if you’ll be eligible for cladribine under the new guidance, speak to your MS specialist. The new guidance doesn’t affect anyone already on a course of cladribine.
