Sofosbuvir delayed by NHS England due to high cost
Cinnamon Girl said
Jan 17, 2015
Yes it`s very disappointing news, Nirmalee, particularly as NICE were all prepared to back Sovaldi as being a cost effective treatment. It seems very short-sighted but lets hope it is actually a delay rather than a refusal, and hopefully the NHS will allow it later this year.
Your consultant seems very on the ball and that must have been a huge help to you and very reassuring.
Thanks for your comment. ~ Jill
dragonfly said
Jan 16, 2015
This is so disappointing Jill, my consultant warned me that this was going to happen. That is why when I was at my lowest I begged them not to take me off the meds. When I did my 2nd bout of Interferon I had to fight with NICE for retreatment as the policy in my area was not to do it but now they are actively behind Solvadi which means they know it works. For all those still waiting I hope these are approved soon.
Cinnamon Girl said
Jan 16, 2015
The NHS (National Health Serive) in England has taken the decision to delay the use of sofosbuvir because of the hight cost.
The move by NHS England is unprecedented, because the NHS rationing body, Nice (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) has approved the drug. Nice says sofosbuvir is cost-effective, because it is a cure for people who would otherwise run up huge NHS bills.
Charles Gore, chief executive of the Hepatitis C Trust, said he was very concerned about the delay. Nice had allowed NHS England to make a decision based on affordability rather than cost-effectiveness. "It feels to me as if a whole new criterion has been invented by the backdoor," he said. If the NHS could delay using a new drug by four months, it could also delay by six months or a year - or it could decide on the basis of its cash-strapped budget to use it one year but not the next.
Full article from the Hep C Tust (source - the Guardian newspaper)
Yes it`s very disappointing news, Nirmalee, particularly as NICE were all prepared to back Sovaldi as being a cost effective treatment. It seems very short-sighted but lets hope it is actually a delay rather than a refusal, and hopefully the NHS will allow it later this year.
Your consultant seems very on the ball and that must have been a huge help to you and very reassuring.
Thanks for your comment. ~ Jill
This is so disappointing Jill, my consultant warned me that this was going to happen. That is why when I was at my lowest I begged them not to take me off the meds. When I did my 2nd bout of Interferon I had to fight with NICE for retreatment as the policy in my area was not to do it but now they are actively behind Solvadi which means they know it works. For all those still waiting I hope these are approved soon.
The NHS (National Health Serive) in England has taken the decision to delay the use of sofosbuvir because of the hight cost.
The move by NHS England is unprecedented, because the NHS rationing body, Nice (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) has approved the drug. Nice says sofosbuvir is cost-effective, because it is a cure for people who would otherwise run up huge NHS bills.
Charles Gore, chief executive of the Hepatitis C Trust, said he was very concerned about the delay. Nice had allowed NHS England to make a decision based on affordability rather than cost-effectiveness. "It feels to me as if a whole new criterion has been invented by the backdoor," he said. If the NHS could delay using a new drug by four months, it could also delay by six months or a year - or it could decide on the basis of its cash-strapped budget to use it one year but not the next.
Full article from the Hep C Tust (source - the Guardian newspaper)
http://www.hepctrust.org.uk/hepatitis-c-drug-sofosbuvir-delayed-nhs-due-high-cost