Symptoms of multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the nervous system, range from shakiness to almost total paralysis. Many sufferers are in constant pain.

MS victims are usually in the prime of life. Their world is turned upside down by the illness. But there is no cure and the only effective way to slow down its progression is a so-called 'wonder drug', beta interferon.

This offers hope to thousands of people with MS. But it is expensive, and ministers have asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to decide whether it should be available on the NHS.

MS sufferers are not prepared to leave it at that. Today they were lobbying MPs, including Hugh Bayley, to raise their concerns at unequal access to treatment.

For many, the journey from York to Westminster is far from easy. Their illness makes travelling difficult and exhausting. That they were prepared to put themselves through such discomfort is an indication of their strength of feeling.

North Yorkshire Health Authority insists no patient has been refused beta interferon on the basis of cost. It has increased spending on the drug by £100,000 to £350,000.

Nevertheless, some MS sufferers in the county who have been refused the drug believe the decision was taken on cost, rather than clinical, grounds.

These sorts of suspicions will continue until beta interferon is made generally available on the NHS, in line with the fundamental health service principle that everyone will receive the best possible treatment, regardless of income. Hopefully, the expense should be offset by MS sufferers needing less hospital treatment and physiotherapy.

The Government has shown its willingness to respond to concerns of people with MS. It has sanctioned the first clinical trials into the medical benefits of cannabis. But there remains a belief that drugs rationing is exacerbating MS victims' suffering, and that has still to be addressed.

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