MS treatments and therapies

It’s best to get advice on your multiple sclerosis treatment with a specialist, like a neurologist. An MS nurse can discuss treatment for MS generally, but only an MS specialist can advise you and prescribe many of the treatments.

The types of treatments and therapies that could benefit you will depend on the type of MS you’re diagnosed with and your symptoms.

What are the treatments for MS?

Although there’s no cure for MS, there are lots of ways to manage the condition.

Some therapies and treatments for MS treat the symptoms. For instance, you might have physiotherapy to help you improve your strength and mobility. Others, such as disease moderating therapies (DMTs), including HSCT (haematopoietic stem cell transplantation), treat the MS itself.

There are around 20 DMTs available to treat relapsing remitting MS. A small number of DMTs can treat some types of progressive MS.

Taking one can mean you get fewer, and less serious, relapses. They can also slow down how fast your MS gets worse. You might even see some symptoms get better to some degree. But DMTs can’t undo damage to nerves that’s left you with a serious disability.

Lots of people with MS find it useful to actively manage their health in other ways, like through diet, exercise or giving up smoking.

It’s best to get advice on multiple sclerosis treatment with a specialist, like a neurologist. An MS nurse can discuss treatment for MS generally, but only an MS specialist can advise and prescribe many of the treatments. The types of treatments and therapies that can help l will depend on the type of MS and the symptoms.

What are the treatments for MS?

Although there’s no cure for MS, there are lots of ways to manage the condition.

Some therapies and treatments for MS treat the symptoms. For instance, physiotherapy might to help improve strength and mobility. Others, such as disease modifying therapies (DMTs), treat the MS itself.

There are around 20 DMTs available to treat relapsing remitting MS. A small number of DMTs can treat some types of progressive MS.

Taking one can mean fewer, and less serious, relapses. They can also slow down how fast your MS gets worse. You might even see some symptoms get better to some degree. But DMTs can’t undo damage to nerves that’s left you with a serious disability.

Lots of people with MS find it useful to actively manage their health in other ways, like through diet, exercise or giving up smoking.

It’s best to get advice on your multiple sclerosis treatment with a specialist, like a neurologist. An MS nurse can discuss treatment for MS generally, but only an MS specialist can advise you and prescribe many of the treatments. The types of treatments and therapies that could benefit you will depend on your type of MS and your symptoms.

What are the treatments for relapsing remitting MS?

For relapsing remitting MS, your MS specialist may recommend a disease modifying therapy (DMT). There are around 20 DMTs available to treat relapsing MS. Taking one can mean you get fewer, and less serious, relapses. They can also slow down how fast your MS gets worse. You might even see some symptoms get better to some degree. But DMTs can’t undo damage to nerves that’s left you with a serious disability.

There are also therapies and treatments that treat the symptoms of MS. For instance, you might have physiotherapy to help you improve your strength and mobility.

Lots of people with MS also find it useful to actively manage their health in other ways, like through diet, exercise or giving up smoking.

What are the treatments for other types of MS?

Most DMTs only work for relapsing remitting MS. There are a few DMTs suitable for treating some forms of progressive MS.

And there are currently several drugs in trial that may be able to help more people with progressive MS.

It’s best to get advice on your multiple sclerosis treatment with a specialist, like a neurologist. An MS nurse can discuss treatment for MS generally, but only an MS specialist can advise you and prescribe many of the treatments. The types of treatments and therapies that could benefit you will depend on your type of MS and your symptoms.

What treatments are there for primary progressive MS?

Although there’s no cure for primary progressive MS, there are lots of ways to manage the condition.

Some therapies and treatments treat the symptoms. For instance, you might have physiotherapy to help you improve your strength and mobility.  

If you have early primary progressive MS, then you might get the disease modifying therapy (DMT) ocrelizumab (Ocrevus). It can slow down how fast your disability and symptoms get worse.

Ocrelizumab is recommended for people with primary progressive MS on the NHS as long as:

• your MRI scans show signs of inflammation
• you have a score on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) between 3.0 and 6.5. A score of 6.5 means you need two walking aids – such as canes or crutches – to walk 20 metres without having a rest. People aren’t given DMTs, including ocrelizumab, if they’ve been using a wheelchair for at least six months. This is because there’s not enough evidence at the moment that DMTs will make enough difference to their MS
• your MS started within the last 10 years (if your EDSS score is 5 or under) or the last 15 years (if your score is over 5). A score of 5 means disability gets in the way of your daily activities but you can walk without an aid for 200 metres.

A trial in 2025 also showed that ocrelizumab slowed down disability and loss of hand and arm function in more people with progressive MS than we thought. This includes people with more advanced progressive MS. So, in the future more people with progressive MS might qualify for a DMT. 

A DMT called HSCT might also be able to slow down primary progressive MS which still has active inflammation (either relapses or lesions on an MRI). HSCT is unlikely to help if you have advanced progressive MS and you're no longer having relapses or signs of inflammation on an MRI.

Lots of people with MS also find it useful to actively manage their health in other ways, like through diet, exercise or giving up smoking.

Researchers are working hard to find effective treatments for people with progressive MS.

Read more on what we’re doing about progressive MS

What treatments are there for other types of MS?

There are around 20 DMTs available to treat relapsing remitting MS. Taking one can mean fewer, and less serious relapses. They can also slow down how fast MS gets worse. One of these DMTs, siponimod (Mayzent) can also help some people with active secondary progressive MS.

It’s best to get advice on your multiple sclerosis treatment with a specialist, like a neurologist. An MS nurse can discuss treatment for MS generally, but only an MS specialist can advise you and prescribe many of the treatments. The types of treatments and therapies that could benefit you will depend on your type of MS and your symptoms.

What are the treatments for secondary progressive MS?

Although there’s no cure for secondary progressive MS, there are lots of ways to manage the condition.

Some therapies and treatments for MS treat the symptoms. For instance, you might have physiotherapy to help you improve your strength and mobility.

There’s also a disease modifying therapy (DMT) called siponimod (Mayzent). You can have it if you have secondary progressive MS but still get the occasional relapse. Or if you’ve had MRI scans that show inflammation in your brain or spine. For this kind of ‘active’ secondary progressive MS, siponimod could slow down how fast your symptoms or disability get worse.

If you have active secondary progressive MS, another DMT called HSCT might also be able to help you. But HSCT is rarely offered on the NHS to people with secondary progressive MS. And it’s unlikely to help people with advanced MS.

> Learn more about active MS

There are also several drugs currently being tested to see if they can help everyone with secondary progressive MS. These include drugs to repair myelin, protect nerves, or slow down progressive MS that’s not active.

Lots of people with MS also find it useful to manage their health in other ways, like through diet, exercise or giving up smoking.

What are the treatments for other types of MS?

There are around 20 DMTs available to treat relapsing remitting MS. Taking one can mean fewer, and less serious, relapses. They can also slow down how fast MS gets worse. 

One DMTs called ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) can also be prescribed for some people with early primary progressive MS who meet some other criteria. HSCT might also be able to slow down primary progressive MS which still has active inflammation (either relapses or lesions on MRI scans).

Understanding MS treatment and getting the right treatment can be overwhelming and challenging. This section gives people living with MS information on treatment options and advice on accessing treatment.

If you’re a professional working with people with MS, we have evidence you can download to support your work. And you’ll find information about clinical pathways and improving access to services on our Service improvement and innovation page.

View and download evidence

Visit our Service improvement and innovation page 

Getting treatment for MS

It’s best to get advice on your multiple sclerosis treatment with a specialist, like a neurologist. An MS nurse can discuss treatment for MS generally, but only an MS specialist can advise you and prescribe many of the treatments. The types of treatments and therapies that may be beneficial for you will depend on your type of MS and your symptoms.

Read more about getting treatment for MS

What are the treatments for MS?

Although there’s no cure for MS, there are lots of ways to manage the condition.

Some therapies and treatments for MS treat the symptoms. For instance, you might need physiotherapy to help you improve your strength and mobility. Others, such as disease modifying therapies (DMTs), including HSCT (haematopoietic stem cell transplantation ), manage MS itself.

There are around twenty DMTs licensed to treat relapsing remitting MS, and some forms of progressive MS. Taking one can mean you get fewer, and less serious, relapses. They can also slow down how fast your MS gets worse.

Lots of people with MS find it useful to actively manage their health in other ways, like through diet, exercise or giving up smoking.