NICE changes position on Alzheimer's drugs
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK has announced changes to its recommendations on the uses of drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK has announced changes to its recommendations on the uses of drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease.
The Institute is now recommending that doneprezil, rivastigmine and galantamine 'should be considered as options in the treatment of people with Alzheimer's disease of moderate severity only [those with a mini mental state examination (MMSE) score of between 10 and 20 points]'.
Current legislation, implemented in January 2001 and still in force until updated guidance is issued, recommends the drugs' usage in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's.
As for memantine, the other drug under consideration, the Institute is recommending that is should not be used to treat people with 'moderately-severe to severe' Alzheimer's, apart from in clinical studies.
The Institute's revised draft of its guidance on the use of drugs to treat Alzheimer's is now published on its website and open to a three week public consultation period ending 13 February.
'We are acutely aware of our responsibility to help people with Alzheimer's disease secure access to effective treatment, ' said Andrew Dillon, chief executive and executive lead for the appraisal of the guidance. 'By going the extra mile and asking the drug companies to delve deeper into their clinical trial data, we have been able to identify the right way to use these medicines. People with Alzheimer's will now receive these drugs when they can help them most. They and those who care for them will be able to feel more confident about gaining benefit from them and the NHS will know that it's using its funds to best ef-fect.'
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has expressed disappointment that value of the medicines for people with mild Alzheimer's 'has still not been recognised'.
Dr Richard Barker, director general of the ABPI, said: 'While the decision to allow patients with moderate Alzheimer's treatment with these medicines is naturally welcome, it is disappointing that their potential value in those with the mild form of the condition has not been recognised. Doing everything possible to prevent or at least slow down the development of this distressing condition should be a top priority for the health service.'