UK U-turn
on Alzheimer’s Medication
Thousands
of UK Alzheimer’s sufferers could now get drug treatments following a turnabout
by a health watchdog.
The
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) now says that
evidence supports the use of drugs for “mild” symptoms.
Currently
rules prevent NHS doctors from prescribing donepezil, galatamine and rivastigmine
in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Many health professionals
have been campaigning for the use of early drug treatment to help dementia
patients, and it is felt that this new guidance heralds a “momentous day”
in the care of Alzheimer’s.
The
availability of early drug treatment with the medication mentioned above
has caused controversy for almost ten years in the UK. In 2005 NICE
ruled that the drugs should not be available on the NHS. A year later
they reviewed their ruling, stating that the drugs could be made available
for patients with “moderate” symptoms, but still ruled that they should
not be provided for “mild” sufferers.
The
formula that NICE had used to calculate the “value for money” for the NHS
to offer the drugs was then subject to a court case. Following the
disclosure of their economic model, in 2009 NICE had to admit “technical
inaccuracies” in the model and amend it.
Now
the CEO of NICE, Sir Andrew Dillon, is quoted as saying "Clinical trials
have continued to show the positive effect of these drugs. Our increased
confidence in the benefits and costs associated with the use of the three
drugs for treating mild and moderate stages of the disease has enabled
us to make positive recommendation for their use in mild disease."
The
Alzheimer’s Society have stated that the u-turn marks a “momentous day”,
with approximately half of the 62,000 people who develop the disease each
year being able to benefit from these drugs. The medication, which
costs roughly £2.80 per person per day is not a “miracle cure”, but
certainly can enhance quality of life.
Ruth
Sutherland of the Alzheimer’s Society sums it up as "For the price of a
cup of coffee they can mean the difference between recognising your loved
ones and playing with your grandchildren.”
The
drugs do not always work for everyone but there will be thousands of old
people starting with symptoms of dementia that will now benefit with the
extra support for memory, concentration and attention span that these drugs
offer.
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