Medicine

Life-changing treatment on the NHS for children with rare, deadly disease

Children in England with a rare condition which leads to early death are set to receive treatment on the NHS, after the health service struck a deal with manufacturers. Young people with Batten Disease – an incurable illness which affects the nervous system, causing seizures, visual impairment, mobility loss and early death – will now […]

Read more

NHS to review making statins available direct from pharmacists as part of Long Term Plan to cut heart disease

High dose statins could be made available directly from high street pharmacies as part of the NHS Long Term Plan to cut heart disease and stroke, NHS chief executive Simon Stevens has announced. In a new review confirmed today, England’s top pharmacist Dr Keith Ridge and newly-appointed director of primary care, Dr. Nikki Kanani, will […]

Read more

NHS to fund revolutionary treatment for blindness in children

A revolutionary new gene therapy which restores sight will be provided by the NHS, chief executive Simon Stevens has announced today. Babies born with inherited retinal dystrophies disorder have poor sight which swiftly deteriorates, with most losing their vision completely in childhood. Until now no treatment has been available. The life-changing treatment for children and […]

Read more

NHS cuts medicines costs by three quarters of a billion pounds

The NHS has saved more than £700 million from the annual medicines bill to reinvest in new treatments as part of the Long Term Plan. An NHS-wide campaign has supported patients and doctors to maximise the use of ‘generic’ and best value ‘biologic’ treatments to treat conditions including arthritis and cancer. New figures show that the […]

Read more

NHS England to fund first ever treatment for children with rare muscle-wasting condition

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 […]

Read more

NHS England strikes deal to make innovative Multiple Sclerosis drug available, paving the way for NICE recommendation

Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) will have routine access to a drug that can slow disability under a deal struck between NHS England and the manufacturer Roche, paving the way for its approval by NICE. Ocrelizumab (also known as Ocrevus) is the first treatment that can modify or change the course of the disease to […]

Read more