The next step in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment.

AMPYRA^® is a medication indicated as a treatment to improve walking in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This was demonstrated by an increase in walking speed.

AMPYRA doesn't work for everyone, talk to your doctor.

AMPYRA isn't an infusion or injection. It's a tablet, taken twice a day about 12 hours apart. AMPYRA has been tested in people with the major types of MS. Patients with a history of seizure or with kidney problems must not take AMPYRA.

Walking difficulty is one of the most challenging aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS). In a poll commissioned by Acorda of more than 2500 people with MS, 87% of people with MS said they experienced some limitations in their ability to walk and limited activities that involved walking.¹

How is AMPYRA thought to help people with MS?

How AMPYRA works in humans is not completely understood.

In MS, the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the protective coating around nerve fibers, called myelin.² When myelin is lost or damaged, potassium channels on the nerves open, and potassium leaks out.^3,4 This can weaken or distort the messages being sent from the brain to the rest of the body, and in some people, this can lead to walking difficulties.⁵

In animal studies, AMPYRA has been shown to help stop potassium leakage from the nerve fibers. This strengthens the signals that the brain sends through nerves whose myelin has been lost or damaged.

AMPYRA is a broad-spectrum potassium channel blocker, and the first MS medication thought to enhance signal conduction in the nerves by blocking some of the potassium leaks.

AMPYRA is thought to block potassium (K+) leaks.  This can make a difference for some people with MS. AMPYRA does not replace potassium, nor is it a potassium supplement.

How effective is AMPYRA?

In clinical trials, AMPYRA improved the walking of over a third of patients, as demonstrated by an increase in walking speed. AMPYRA improved walking speed in significantly more patients than placebo (sugar pill) in 2 clinical trials (34.8% vs. 8.3% and 42.9% vs. 9.3%).

Patients who walked faster in the clinical trials also had consistent improvements in how they saw MS affect their walking related activities. Walking faster can be meaningful in these types of activities because it may allow a person to cross a street before the light changes, get to answer the door before someone assumes no one is home and leaves, or answer the phone before it goes into voicemail.

Usually, people who had consistent improvements in their walking while taking AMPYRA experienced them up to 6 weeks of starting treatment.