Wales has become the first country in the UK to approve Sativex, a cannabis-derived drug to treat the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The All Wales Medicines Strategy Group made the decision despite the recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) that the product was not cost-effective. Sativex can now be prescribed on the NHS in Wales to improve moderate to severe muscle spasm and stiffness in patients with MS who have not responded to alternative treatment and who show an improvement in symptoms after a trial period.