NICE has recently issued a draft
recommendation that Orkambi not be recommended for treatment of cystic
fibrosis on the NHS.
In coming to this decision NICE, who
are an independent body, determined that any increased benefits from
Orkambi have not currently been demonstrated to be superior to the
currently available treatment. NICE has to balance its assessments of a
drug’s efficacy in tandem with the cost to the health service and in
those terms determined Orkambi was not a significant improvement over
current treatments.
As you may be aware, the Scottish NHS
seeks guidance from the Scottish Medicines Consortium rather than NICE.
The SMC are currently reviewing Orkambi and are set to make their
recommendation on the 9th of May. While typically SMC recommendations
come to similar conclusions as NICE, they have on occasion differed.
It is my understanding that the procedures that new drugs have to pass through can
often seem frustrating. But these processes exist to ensure that the NHS
provides the best possible treatment to all patients. Many new drugs
offer little additional benefit over and above current treatments and in
these cases NICE or the SMC may determine existing treatments remain
the preferred option.
