New treatment for arthritis
Wednesday, 24 Oct 2007 08:30
Three drugs are advised today for arthritis sufferers
Health In Focus
Click here to find out how to avoid disease and keep your kitchen hygienic, on inthenews.co.uk. Full Story
A new drug has been granted approval today for arthritis sufferers by the government's medication advisors.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) said adalimumab should be recommended as an option for adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have already trialled two disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.
Another two drugs are also recommended by Nice today for RA: etanercept and infliximab.
Nice chief executive Andrew Dillon said the approval of the three drugs, known as anti-TNF medication, is "good news" for people with RA.
"By recommending the use of these drugs, people in England and Wales with this condition have access to effective treatments when they need them."
Nice has ruled however that treatment with the three drugs should only continue if there is an adequate response after six months.
Health campaigners are hopeful that Nice will allow sequential treatment - where another anti-TNF drug can be trialled if there has been no response to the first one.
"So that we could issue guidance as quickly as possible to benefit people with rheumatoid arthritis, Nice has published the recommendations relating only to the first use of the drugs," Mr Dillon said.
"The independent appraisal committee will give further consideration to the sequential use of these drugs, and will produce separate guidance on this specific use."
Abigail Page, head of policy campaigns at Arthritis Care, said the charity welcomes the new guidelines.
"People with severe RA should have the widest choice of proven treatments available, as they do in continental Europe and America," she said.
But Ms Page added: "We are very disappointed and frustrated that Nice has still not made a decision about whether people failed by their first anti-TNF can switch to another.
"One drug may not work when the second or third can be extremely effective. These drugs are life changing, and in some cases life saving, and a one-strike-and-you're-out policy is harsh. People struggling with this debilitating condition have been on tenterhooks waiting to hear, and this further delay is heartbreaking for many."
People with questions about the drugs can find more information from the Arthritis Care helpline.