The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice) is to review its guidelines on the use of new d...
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice) is to review its guidelines on the use of new drugs for treating rheumatoid arthritis.
Presently, NHS patients are allowed just one anti-TNF (tumour necrosis factor alpha) drug, a treatment costing a minimum of £100 a week that can slow the progress of the condition and help reduce joint pain, swelling, mobility and fatigue.
Ailsa Bostworth, chief executive of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, said: "We are delighted that Nice has listened to patients and clinicians and agreed to re-look at the evidence for the sequential use of anti-TNF drugs."
Campaigners said that patients should be allowed alternative versions of the drug if the first one they tried stopped working.
Nice had argued that multiple anti-TNF treatments were not cost-effective and doctors should offer rituximab which costs £3,000 a year less than the cheapest anti-TNF.
