The approval from the FDA for Ampyra for MS patients came in January of 2010, but research has been ongoing for decades. Ampyra is the brand name for the slow release form of 4-aminopyridine, known as 4-AP. The studies of the link between 4-AP and demyelination go back as far as 1980. In fact, the possibilities of using Ampyra for Multiple Sclerosis treatment really got its start in agriculture. This is yet another example of research leading to accidental discoveries that end up opening entirely new avenues of understanding the way he body works.
4-aminopyridine chloride, sold as Avitrol, is used as a bird repellant by baiting some birds in a flock with it, where the drug acts on the central nervous system to change their behavior. This behavioral change frightens off the other birds, who always act in unison as a flock.
The use of Ampyra for MS does not modify the disease
Not considered a disease modifying treatment, the use of Ampyra for MS is considered a symptom treating treatment. It is a tablet taken twice daily to increase both the ease in which the patient walks and the speed at which they are able to walk. Difficulty walking is one of the most reported and challenging symptoms reported by MS patients. Some polls show 87% of people with MS have difficulty walking to the extent that it limits their activities and prevents them from participating in either work or recreational pursuits they might otherwise have been involved in. Although it doesn’t work for everyone, there have been positive results in patients with all forms of MS. Your doctor will have to determine if you are a good candidate to use Ampyra for Multiple Sclerosis walking difficulties.
How does it work?
With MS, the immune system attacks the myelin sheath, or coating, of the nerve fibers. When this myelin sheath is damaged or lost, potassium channels open up on the nerve, allowing potassium to leak out. This leakage makes the messages sent from the brain to the other parts of the body weaker. When these messages are distorted like this, motor skills can deteriorate, and the simple act of walking becomes difficult because the legs are not doing what the brain is instructing them to do. Ampyra is a broad-spectrum potassium channel blocker, and it is thought that it helps to stop the potassium leakage, leading to a stronger signal being sent from these damaged nerves. Although using Ampyra for MS walking improvement does not replace or supplement potassium in the body, the stronger signals from the damaged nerves seems to make a difference. Most of these hypotheses come from studies in animals, and the exact relationship is not thoroughly understood, enough evidence has been presented to win FDA approval.
