Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and progressive inflammatory disease that attacks the central nervous system. Impaired walking is the most significant disability; about half the patients suffer from this pathology 20 years after diagnosis.

Fampridine has been approved for the improvement of walking capacity (WC) in adult MS patients with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 4–7.

Purpose To determine the effectiveness of fampridine in improving the walking of adult MS patients 15 days and 45 days after starting the drug.

Material and methods Retrospective study by reviewing patient clinical records from the Neurology department and pharmacist reports.

Parameters measured: timed 25-foot walk test (T25FW), 12-item MS walking scale (MSWS-12) questionnaire at baseline, 15 days and 45 days after the first dose.

Response criteria were defined as an improvement of at least 20% in the T25FW and 6 points of the MSWS-12.

Results We included 22 patients in the study. Mean age: 50.95 years, 61.9% women, 61.8% Relapsing Remitting MS and 38.1% Secondary progressive MS. Of the patients taking fampridine (10 mg twice daily), 1 was excluded because he switched from 3, 4-diaminopyridine.

Twelve patients (57.1%) were found to be responders, T25FW decreased on average by 39.8% at 15 days and 41.1% at 45 days from the baseline. The average WC improvement in MSWS was 13.33 points at 15 days and 17.18 at 45 days.

Conclusion Fampridine has been shown in clinical trials to improve WC in approximately one third of MS patients (42.9 and 35% in the pivotal clinical trials). In our study we’ve found a significantly greater improvement.

In responders this increase was maintained across the treatment period or even improved.

References and/or Acknowledgements 1 Goodman AD, Brown TR, Krupp LB, et al., Sustained-release oral fampridine in multiple sclerosis: a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial. Lancet 2009;373:732–73

No conflict of interest.