NICE updates guidance for management of multiple sclerosis but does not recommend Bayer's Sativex

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has updated its guidance for the NHS’ management of multiple sclerosis.

At present, people with MS can be left for more than a year with no monitoring of their condition or medication, but the new NICE guidance aims to ensure more regular review, recommending every person with MS has a comprehensive review of all of their care at least once a year. Multidisciplinary teams are to oversee the care they receive, including neurologists, MS nurses, general practitioners, psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

Mark Baker, clinical practice director at the NICE, said: “About 100,000 people in the UK have MS, with symptoms usually appearing in younger people. It can be a highly disabling condition that people live with for many years. MS can significantly affect a person’s quality of life: they may have to give up work and may also struggle with their mobility. We know that people with MS tend to die earlier than others. This is why it is important to give people access to the best treatments and specialists who can help them live as normal and as long a life as possible.”