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Medicine
NHS to offer licensed cannabis-based medicine to treat rare genetic condition
The NHS will be able to prescribe cannabidiol to patients with a rare, seizure-causing genetic disorder in England from today (Tuesday) after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued final guidance recommending its use. Around one in every 6,000 people suffer from tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) that causes seizures, which severely affect […]
NHS strikes deal for potentially life-saving breast cancer drug
The NHS will roll out an innovative, potentially life-saving treatment for one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer thanks to a new drug deal. Up to 1,600 women a year affected by high risk triple-negative breast cancer are set to benefit from the confidential deal struck by the NHS and the manufacturer. Pembrolizumab […]
NHS turbocharges efforts to end new cases of HIV with drug deals
The NHS in England is on course to become the first country in the world to stop new cases of HIV before 2030, by offering a full armoury of HIV-busting drugs. Thanks to a series of national deals struck by the NHS, 87,000 people currently being treated for HIV and 61,000 people receiving preventative treatment, […]
NHS launches new online site finder for Monkeypox vaccines
The NHS has today launched a new online vaccine site finder to make it as easy as possible for eligible people to get their monkeypox jab. Almost 50,000 people have so far been vaccinated for monkeypox since the NHS rolled out the programme at speed once the first cases were identified. The UK Health Security […]
Breakthrough treatment to boost life chances for hundreds of people with respiratory cancer
The first new mesothelioma treatment to be approved in nearly 15 years will be made available for hundreds of patients with aggressive respiratory cancer, the NHS announced today. The life extending treatment, which has been approved for use today by NICE after the NHS struck a new commercial deal for the medicines, will combine nivolumab […]
NHS saves £1.2 billion on medicines over three years
The NHS has saved taxpayers £1.2 billion in just three years, while securing cutting-edge treatments for patients, by using its buying power to negotiate better prices for hundreds of hospital medicines. The adoption of cheaper versions of a single drug – adalimumab – which is used to treat more than 45,000 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, […]
NHS launches lifesaving sickle cell campaign
Tomorrow on World Sickle Cell Day, NHS England will launch a brand new campaign to boost public awareness of the genetic disorder which affects thousands across the UK. The campaign, dubbed ‘Can you tell it’s sickle cell?’, is aimed at increasing awareness of the key signs and symptoms of sickle cell disorder – which disproportionately […]
NHS lands breakthrough in global battle against superbugs
The NHS is set to roll out two ‘superbug’ busting drugs through a world-first, pioneering subscription deal that will help tackle antimicrobial resistance, the head of the NHS announced today. The deal, initially for two antimicrobial drugs, means patients with serious infections that have evolved so much that antibiotics and other current treatments are no […]
Thousands of tests and checks every day in January despite Omicron pressure
The NHS delivered 280,000 more diagnostic tests and checks in January compared to the same month last year, new figures show, as staff continue to work hard to tackle long waits and COVID-19 backlogs. Monthly performance data, published today, shows despite ongoing pressures on staff – including more than three million staff sick days in […]
NHS treats first sickle cell disease patients with life-changing drug
One of the first patients to access a ground-breaking treatment for sickle cell disease on the NHS says she is “over the moon” to have received the “lifechanging” new drug. Loury Mooruth, 62, from Walsall in the West Midlands, is one of the first people to receive crizanlizumab at Birmingham NHS Trust – the first […]