A five-month old baby has become the first patient to receive a potentially life-saving drug on the NHS that can prevent paralysis and prolong the lives of children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Arthur Morgan, who was diagnosed with SMA earlier this month, received the one-off gene therapy at Evelina London Children’s Hospital on May […]

A world-leading treatment that halves the risk of lung cancer patients suffering a return of the disease after undergoing treatment, is to be rolled out by NHS England. In a trial of the drug – the first of its kind – around nine out of ten patients treated, remained alive and disease-free after two years […]

NHS England has today announced it has secured a definitive agreement with Vertex Pharmaceuticals to make available all three of their UK-licensed cystic fibrosis medicines. This means NHS patients will now have full access to Orkambi, Symkevi and Kalydeco, and around 5000 people may now take up these treatments. There is no cap on patient numbers, and each and every patient in England who […]

NHS England is to fund a life changing treatment for thousands of people with severe Haemophilia, which will dramatically cut their risk of life-threatening bleeds and reduce treatment time. The new treatment is part of a package of measures set out in the NHS Long Term Plan which will save lives through access to the […]

People living with brain and nerve conditions like Parkinson’s could benefit from quicker diagnosis and better coordinated care as part of a new NHS initiative, which is also set to free up millions of pounds to reinvest in patient care. NHS experts have joined forces with seven leading charities to produce a toolkit that will […]

NHS England will provide a promising new treatment which can prolong the lives of children with a rare genetic condition after negotiating a deal with the manufacturer. Nusinersen, also called Spinraza and made by Biogen, is the first treatment that targets the underlying cause of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The condition affects the nerves in […]

New places for the PrEP Impact Trial will now start to be released following agreement at the PrEP Oversight Board. Implementation of the PrEP Impact trial has been a huge success with over 11,500 participants already enrolled in this important HIV prevention measure. With the speed of recruitment and need for PrEP significantly exceeding initial […]

Implementation of the PrEP Impact trial has been a huge success with over 10,000 participants already enrolled in this important HIV prevention measure. But, the speed of recruitment and demand for PrEP has significantly exceeded initial expert predictions and the trial researchers now consider that more places should be made available. They argue that recruitment […]

Local health services today are being allocated £570 billion to fund NHS services and implement the new long term plan. Every area in England will receive a cash increase of at least 17% over the next five years, including a minimum rise of 4.4% next year. Some £1 billion a year will be distributed according […]

The NHS is set to save a record £300 million after negotiating deals with five manufacturers on low cost versions of the health service’s most costly drug, Simon Stevens announced today. The huge anticipated saving, the biggest in NHS history from a single drug negotiation, was unlocked by the introduction of ‘biosimilar’ versions of adalimumab […]