According to the Mayo Clinic, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a potentially debilitating disease in which the body's immune system eats away at the protective sheath that covers the nerves. This interferes with the communication between the brain and the rest of the body. Ultimately, this may result in deterioration of the nerves themselves, a process that is not reversible. Symptoms vary widely, depending on the amount of damage and which particular nerves are affected. People with severe cases of multiple sclerosis may lose the ability to walk or speak. Multiple sclerosis can be difficult to diagnose early in the course of the disease, because symptoms often come and go — sometimes disappearing for months. Although multiple sclerosis can occur at any age, it most often begins in people between the ages of 20 and 40. Women are more likely to develop multiple sclerosis than are men.

Ampyra™ is the first and only FDA-approved therapy addressing walking impairment in MS patients - one of the most difficult and pervasive challenges of the disease. In clinical trials, patients who took Ampyra™demonstrated an increased walking speed, regardless of which of the four major types of MS they exhibited (relapsing remitting, secondary progressive, progressive relapsing, or primary progressive). Ampyra™ can be used alone or with existing MS therapies, including immunomodulator drugs. It will be developed and commercialized in the United States by Acorda Therapeutics, and by Biogen Idec in markets outside the U.S. Ampyra™ is manufactured globally by Elan Drug Technologies, based on an existing supply agreement with Acorda.

Researchers at Purdue developed the original concept and basic science, and conducted initial animal studies at Purdue's Center for Paralysis Research facilities. The first clinical testing of the drug in paraplegic canines occurred on the Purdue campus in the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Thanks to the hard work of researchers such as Borgens and Shi, a new era has arrived in the treatment of MS, available worldwide.