A Study of the Effectiveness of Fampridine in Improving Upper Limb Function in MS
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2016-02-16
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of treatment with fampridine in patients
with secondary progressive MS (SPMS) or primary progressive MS (PPMS) with upper limb
dysfunction (as defined by a 9-HPT time of between 15-90 seconds) and Kurtzke EDSS scores in
the range 4.0-7.0 on upper limb function assessed by the nine-hole peg test (9-HPT) and the
Jebson Taylor Hand Function Test (JTT).
Fampridine has been shown to be effective in improving motor function, specifically walking
ability in prior studies in this patient population and is currently licensed for this use in
Europe and the United States. Upper limb dysfunction is common in SPMS and PPMS and often
underestimated. Fampridine effects action potential conduction in demyelinated nerve fibres
and we would hypothesise that the improvement previously reported in walking ability would be
similar to that on upper limb dysfunction. Our study aims to address this question using both
independent and patient reported outcomes in the context of a randomised placebo controlled
crossover trial.