UK Health Radio – Medical News Update on the Hour - Eye Treatment Need Not Be so Expensive

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update on the Hour

Eye Treatment Need Not Be so Expensive

The BBC have reported that a drug that prevents elderly people losing their sight should be routinely available on the NHS, according to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.

Avastin has been found in clinical trials to be safe and effective for patients with wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), that is a major cause of sight loss in older people.

The Royal College says switching to the drug could save the NHS £100m as Avastin is cheaper than the officially approved treatment, Lucentis.

Lucentis typically costs about £700 for an injection, but the price for Avastin is about £70 and recent studies have concluded Avastin is just as effective and safe as Lucentis.

Doctors can prescribe it "off-label", but they are only supposed to do that if there is no suitable licensed drug.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, experts from the Royal College say regulators should find a way of getting round what they call the "bureaucratic hurdles" that prevent its use, and called for the General Medical Council and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to examine the situation and also warn that hospital eye services are struggling to cope with demand, they warn.

"Either the regulators must find a way to license a drug without the sponsorship of the company that owns it or NICE must find a way to consider an off-label drug that is not being submitted for appraisal by its owners."

Cathy Yelf from the Macular Society said that the society agreed with the Royal College's view, and had been campaigning for regulators to carry out an appraisal of Avastin for use in ophthalmology since 2010.

"We are aware that some Clinical Commissioning Groups are looking at ways of using Avastin. However, it is individual doctors who are legally accountable if an unlicensed drug is prescribed. It is not right that clinicians should be pressurised by the NHS to use Avastin without proper legal protection."

In a statement, Novartis, which markets Lucentis in the UK, said it was aware of the BMJ editorial.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health in England said:

"Age-related macular degeneration is a very serious condition and there are already other licensed and NICE-recommended drugs available to treat this condition. Avastin is not licensed for this purpose and only the manufacturer is able to apply for a new licence.

"Doctors are free to prescribe unlicensed medicines and licensed products off label if they feel they are clinically appropriate for their patients."

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Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update on the Hour

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