A mother from Swansea has become the first person in the UK to receive a 10-minute injection to slow MS progression.
Emma Cullen previously had to undergo intravenous (IV) infusion twice a year, with each visit taking up to four hours.
The medication ocrelizumab helps to prevent relapses and slows the progression of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
It has now been approved to be administered via an injection under the skin.
MS is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord, according to the NHS.
While there is not currently a cure, treatment can be offered to help manage symptoms.
For someone with MS, special cells made by the immune system to attack and kill viruses and bacteria attack the nerves instead.
The MS Society says ocrelizumab targets a specific type of these cells, B cells, and stops them getting into a person’s brain and spinal cord.
Swansea Bay University Health Board was part of the clinical trial for the drug and has now administered the first injection in the UK at Morriston Hospital.
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‘Game-changer’
The treatment is used for patients with either active relapsing MS, where symptoms can go away or get better after a flare-up, and early primary progressive MS, where it gradually worsens.
The hope is the quicker treatment method will allow more patients to be seen and treated and allow patients to return to their daily activities more quickly.
Ms Cullen said the new method of treating MS was a “game-changer” and she felt “very lucky”.
“Dr Owen Pearson rang me and explained about the new method and I jumped at it,” she said.
“It’s exactly the same treatment, just through a different method, and it will mean more people can be seen and treated quicker.”
Dr Pearson said the new method meant staff could also shorten the time patients wait for treatment.
“This form of treatment gives patients the best chance of being stable and continuing to live their lives,” he said.
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Alexandra Strong, manager of the Jill Rowe Neurology Ambulatory Unit, said it was “exciting to have the first patient in the UK at the unit”.
“The new method will mean less time in hospital for patients and will allow us to be more flexible and provide treatment more quickly from the point of referral,” she added.
