§ Mr. HurstTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the(a) use and (b) effectiveness of amantadine in the treatment of multiple sclerosis in the national health service. [161125]
§ Dr. LadymanProducts containing amantadine are not currently licensed for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United Kingdom. In order to determine whether amantadine is safe and effective in the treating multiple sclerosis, the product would need to be assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the new indication approved by the Committee on Safety of Medicines. To date, no such application has been made.
A Cochrane Review to determine the effectiveness and safety of amantadine in reducing fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis was published in The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2004. The reviewers concluded that the efficacy of amantadine treatment in reducing fatigue in people with MS is poorly documented and that there is insufficient evidence to make recommendations to guide prescribing.