Background Fampridine is a drug indicated to improve walking in adult patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Patients should be evaluated after two weeks and treatment should be stopped for those who have not shown any improvement.

Purpose To evaluate walking improvement in multiple sclerosis patients treated with fampridine and compliance with the condition of stopping the drug at two weeks in the absence of improvement.

Material and methods Retrospective study in MS patients treated with fampridine (January/2014–September/2014). Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW) and Twelve Item MS Walking Scale (MSWS-12) were used to evaluate drug response. Data recorded were age, gender, and results of T25FW and MSWS-12 at baseline and after two weeks of treatment. Drug discontinuation in non-responders was evaluated. Means were calculated and comparisons were performed by using Wilcoxon Signed Rank test.

Results 10 adult MS patients were included in the study (40% male; mean age 55 ± 9.7 years). 90% improved their walking tests. Baseline mean time for T25FW was 12.2 ± 5.9 s initially and 8.96 ± 3.8 s after 2 weeks (p = 0.007).

MSWS-12 reflected a significant improvement in the following items: balance, time standing, walking speed and distance (p ≤ 0.05). No difference was detected for the following items: ability to run (p = 0.317) and the need for using a walking support outdoors (p = 0.590) or indoors (p = 0.157).

There was only one non-responding patient who didn’t stop drug treatment.

Conclusion The walking of most patients on fampridine had improved at two weeks especially regarding balance, distance and time standing. The stopping criterion was not observed in one non-responder.

References and/or Acknowledgements

1. EMA Product information fampridine

References and/or AcknowledgementsNo conflict of interest.