Latest dispensing figures hold no surprisesThe latest report on prescriptions dispensed in the England, from the Health and Social Care Information Centre, make complete sense, writes Chris Chapman.…
Nivolumab granted positive scientific opinion under UK early access scheme Nivolumab, a new lung cancer drug, has been granted a positive scientific opinion by the UK medicines safety regulator under the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS).…
Repositioning existing drugs for cancer treatment Scientists are using systematic approaches to identify non-oncology drugs that can be used to treat cancer, but access to drugs and commercial challenges are hindering progress.…
NHS England announces ‘huge investment’ for new hepatitis C treatments The NHS in England has agreed to increase the budget available to fund new treatments for chronic hepatitis C to £190m, a rise from the budget of approximately £40m made available in 2014.…
NICE to offer guidance on management of menopausal symptoms The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has for the first time produced guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of menopause.…
Drug development: the journey of a medicine from lab to shelf Before a drug is deemed suitable for patients, it has to go through rigorous testing and cost-effectiveness analyses.…
EMA recommends edoxaban for prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillationThe European Medicines Agency is recommending that edoxaban be made available for the prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation and the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism.…
Interferon beta and glatiramer acetate are cost-effective treatments for multiple sclerosis Treatment with interferon beta or glatiramer acetate reduces disability progression by 24-40% in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, according to a new study.…
Untapped cost-efficiencies are a barrier to drugs access ‘in Europe and beyond’, says WHO A lack of collaboration and pharmacoeconomic analysis is hampering processes aimed at ensuring sustainable access to new drugs in Europe, says the World Health Organization.…
Appraisal processes prevent patients from accessing new anti-cancers, report claims A report says countries that use a QALY formula to assess cost-effectiveness have less access to new cancer drugs compared with countries that use an alternative system.…
