[Ip-health] Dose capping for sight in UK
mkamalyanni@Oxfam.org.uk
mkamalyanni@Oxfam.org.uk
Mon Sep 8 14:01:06 2008
Is this to do with NICE being unreasonable or to do with price of new
medicines being unreasonable? It is strange that while many are criticising
NICE, hardly anyone is wondering why the price is high.
Perhaps if prices are reasonable, NICE will not be in this position
Best wishes
______________________________________
Mohga Kaml-Yanni
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BBC NEWS
Patients to get sight-saving drug
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Joan Armstrong on her struggle to get Lucentis
* All patients in England suffering from a disease which causes
blindness are to get access to a sight-saving drug. *
Lucentis treats wet age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause
of sight loss in the country.
The drug is already available in Scotland, while Wales and Northern
Ireland have said they will fund it.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) had
originally said patients should wait until they went blind in one eye.
The suggestion, made last summer, caused an outcry from campaigners and
doctors, prompting a U-turn by the NHS advisory body in December.
* We've been waiting for this for over two years *
Steve Winyard
Royal National Institute for the Blind
The announcement confirms that draft recommendation and comes after a
unique agreement between NICE and the drug's manufacturer, Novartis.
Under the deal the NHS will only fund 14 injections, with the cost of
any more being met by manufacturer Novartis in a scheme dubbed "dose
capping".
Trusts now have three months to comply with the decision.
But the process which has led to the recommendation has caused much
controversy.
With clinical trials showing impressive results, some primary care
trusts (PCTs), which decide on funding on a local level in the NHS, have
been paying for the treatment ahead of final NICE approval.
This has prompted accusations of a postcode lottery in the NHS and led
to legal action against PCTs which were not paying for it.
In one recent case, three Warwickshire pensioners ended up in the High
Court, winning an out of court settlement last month.
* Wait *
Steve Winyard, head of campaigns at the Royal National Institute for the
Blind, said: "We've been waiting for this for over two years.
FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME
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"It is a victory for thousands, bringing overwhelming relief to
desperate people across the country.
"Finally the torment faced by elderly people forced to either spend
their life savings on private treatment or go blind, is over."
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) comes in two forms - wet and dry
- with the dry form being much more common. However, the wet type is
more aggressive and is responsible for about 90% of blindness caused by
the condition.
Almost 20,000 people a year are diagnosed with wet AMD in England.
HAVE YOUR SAY <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/default.stm> We
need an organisation like NICE to sort out the most cost effective
treatments Keith Blackburn, Colchester
NICE chief executive Andrew Dillon described Lucentis as an expensive
drug - it costs more than =A310,000 for each eye treated.
But he added: "That cost needs to be balanced against the likely cost
savings.
"AMD results in reduced quality of life and increased risks of illness,
particularly in relation to accidents, and psychological ill-health."
Mr Dillon said the cost-sharing deal could potentially mean significant
savings for the NHS.
He expressed sympathy for PCTs facing pressure to fund many different
expensive drugs from finite budgets.
Mr Dillon defended the length of time it took NICE to reach a final
decision, but said it was important all parties had the opportunity to
have their say.
However, he said: "I am genuinely sorry that it has taken us so long to
get to this point. Lessons could be learned by everybody involved."
* *
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7582242.stm
Published: 2008/08/27 10:07:29 GMT
=A9 BBC MMVIII
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