Key Summary
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to reassess Alzheimer’s drugs after earlier rejection over cost.
- The two drugs can slow disease progression.
- Experts urge more NHS investment and urgency, calling dementia a top priority.
The National Institute for Health and Social Care (NICE) will once again evaluate whether Alzheimer’s drugs lecanemab and donanemab should be made available for the NHS, Alzheimer’s Research UK has stated.
Both the drugs have been proven to slow down Alzheimer’s by clearing the clumps of amyloid proteins hindering the brains of patients.
Last year, NICE rejected these drugs, pointing out that they are too expensive to be made available in NHS England and Wales. They are, however, privately available.
An appeal found that NICE had failed to take into account the wider impact of the treatments when calculating the cost effectiveness of the medicines.
Welcoming the appeal, David Thomas, head of Policy and Public Affairs at Alzheimer’s Research UK said this is an opportunity for NICE to consider the real cost of Alzheimer’s on people and their families.
“We urgently need investment and a clear UK-wide plan so new treatments can be assessed in the NHS and reach the people who stand to benefit,” he added.
Alzheimer’s Research UK is also pushing to make sure dementia is now a main priority for political and NHS decision makers.
“Alzheimer’s Research UK is calling on the government to give dementia the same political determination that transformed cancer care,” Mr Thomas said.
He called for greater investment and a clear plan so new treatments can be assessed in the NHS and reach the people who stand to benefit.
Health secretary, Wes Streeting, has also promised to make the UK a world leader in dementia clinical trials.
