The first medicine that Alzheimer's Alzheimer's delays will not be available for dementia patients in Scotland – unless they pay £ 60,000 a year to get it private.
In August last year, medication Lecanemab received market goods inspection in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
However, the Scottish Medicines Consortium has now refused to make it available at the NHS in Scotland.
It means that those who live with the disease only have access to the drug, which is found to delay the cognitive decline by a maximum of six months if they can afford tens of thousands of pages per year for private treatment.
SMC chairman Dr. Scott Muir said that the decision was taken 'uncertainty about what the modest clinical benefit means for patients and their families'.
He also said that 'the cost -effective estimates' that were supplied by the makers of the medicine were 'too high'.
Accepting the need for new therapies for Alzheimer's disease, “he added that the SMC would” welcome a re -effect “if these problems could be tackled.
The move comes after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has made a similar decision, apart from the use on the NHS in England and Wales.
Hilary Evans-Newton, Chief Executive at Alzheimer's Research UK, said that the decision “is a heartbreaking setback for people in Scotland who live with Alzheimer's disease at an early stage '
Charities have said that the decision is 'heartbreaking', but hopeful that existing 'obstacles will be overcome' after further discussions.
Henry Simmons, the Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland, said that the 'disappointing' decision was based on the costs of the drug in connection with the proof of the clinical benefit.
He also said that, unlike NICE's decision, the SMC did not take into account the costs of implementing and developing new diagnostic and treatment paths as part of their assessment.
He added: 'This gives us hope that this is not the end of the road for this potentially life -changing drug and that there may be a possibility for further discussions and negotiations on the issue of medicine costs instead of these other costs, those , who, in our opinion, should simply be part of a progressive NHS approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. '
He added: “We remain optimistic that these first obstacles will be overcome and waiting after decades, that new treatments will soon be approved for NHS use.”
Hilary Evans-Newton, Chief Executive at Alzheimer's Research UK, said that the decision “is a heartbreaking setback for people in Scotland who live with Alzheimer's disease at an early stage.”
She added: 'Instead of getting a treatment that could delay the devastating effects of Alzheimer's, only those who can afford it have access to Lecanemab, which is priced around £ 60,000 a year.
“This is slightly out of reach for many families who have all the financial and emotional weight of care, with some even giving up their career to support loved ones.”
The annual costs of dementia for the British economy are estimated at £ 42 billion, with lost income and unpaid care costs that overshadow the treatment costs.
The Alzheimer's Society predicted this year that these costs will reach £ 90 billion in the coming 15 years, with families being affected by offering unpaid care.
But these external costs are not processed by supervisors, whose role it is to assess the price -quality ratio against other NHS treatments.
Studies showed that Lecanemab delayed the cognitive decline by about a quarter in patients with early Alzheimer's, so that many have a 'turning point' in combating the disease.
Nice had said that the medicine, for which brain scans require to check for side effects, was 'no cost-effective use of limited NHS financing'.
Lecanemab – developed by pharmaceutical company Eisai and sold under the brand name Leqembi – has proven to be efficient in delaying Alzheimer's disease.
The intended antibody treatment binds to amyloid, a protein that builds up in the brains of people who live with the condition.
It is designed to erase the structure and to delay the cognitive decline and is given to patients via an intravenous drop of forth.
Mrs Evans-Newton said: 'Just like first generation treatments for other diseases, Lecanemab has modest benefits and side effects that need careful monitoring.
“But it can offer people with Alzheimer's at an early stage to slow down this devastating disease and that is an opportunity they deserve.”
