Medicine

New NHS treatments helping extend survival for babies with rare muscle-wasting disease

Nearly three in four babies born with a rare muscle-wasting disease are now surviving for two years or more thanks to advances in NHS treatment, new data shows. Around 70 children are born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) each year in the UK, a rare genetic condition that causes muscle weakness, progressive loss of movement […]

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NHS steps up battle against life-threatening infections following successful world-first pilot

The NHS has launched plans to expand pioneering subscription-style drug contracts to develop lifesaving antibiotics of the future. It comes as data shows more people are contracting drug-resistant superbugs than ever before, with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) predicted to cause 10 million global deaths each year by 2050 if no action is taken. NHS England is […]

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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 […]

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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, […]

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