Posted by Michael Wonder on 12 Jul 2016
NICE draft guidance extends treatment options for thousands of people with severe rheumatoid arthritis
12 July 2016 - New draft guidance from NICE means thousands of people suffering with severe rheumatoid arthritis will have more medicines to choose from.
The draft guidance increases the number of people who will be eligible for certolizumab pegol (Cimzia, UCB), on its own or with another drug, methotrexate, when other drugs haven’t worked or aren’t suitable.
NICE already recommends certolizumab pegol for treating severe rheumatoid arthritis which has not responded to intensive therapy with a combination of conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
NICE’s draft guidance extends the number of people who can be considered for treatment with certolizumab pegol by now recommending it can be used after a type of DMARD called a TNF inhibitor has been tried and rituximab is not an option.
