Charities' dismay at arthritis drugs ruling
Monday, 21 Jul 2008 13:26
Campaigners say the drugs are vital for people with rheumatoid arthritis
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Campaigners have reacted with dismay to a recommendation issued today that would limit the drugs available to treat people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
They said that the decision will cause tens of thousands of people with the condition to be left in pain if their drug does not work.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) decided that the anti-TNF drugs adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab should not be recommended for treatment of RA after the failure of another anti-TNF treatment.
An appeal period for the decision will run until August 1st, after which final Nice guidance will be issued.
The charity Arthritis Care said there is "good evidence" that where one anti-TNF does not work, another may be very effective.
It claimed the ruling would mean that people with RA would be forced to return to treatments that had not worked for them in the past.
The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) added that the Nice decision will deny approximately 60,000 people with RA access to a range of Anti-TNF drugs and could leave them facing high levels of pain, the possibility of more surgery and long term disability.
NRAS chief executive Ailsa Bosworth, said: "This decision is another nail in the coffin for the treatment of RA in England and Wales.
"Nice are re-writing the rules of RA treatment in this country, ignoring the clinical effectiveness of drugs and ignoring the views of patients and clinicians."