Decision to cut Alzheimer's drugs challenged

Mar 14 2005

Four major drugs, the only drugs licensed in Britain for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and available on the NHS may be withdrawn. Aricept, Exelon, Reminyl and Ebixa are the only drugs licensed in Britain for the treatment of the disease.

The planned withdrawal has been met with opposition from government ministers. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), in its draft guidance, said the drugs were not cost-effective. The drugs estimated cost is £2.50 per day per patient; they improve memory and can make daily living tasks easier. The plans have outraged campaigners, because thousands of people with dementia will be adversely affected and the withdrawal would be very discouraging for any future research.

Health minister Stephen Ladyman has publicly stated that NICE needs to look at the wider impact of its decision and his department will submit a report in the coming week emphasising the benefits of the drugs.He has found the decision 'baffling' and hopes that once they have looked at the extra evidence, they will reach a different decision. He said they need to assess the impact its plans would have on families.

The government while it respects the independence of NICE, in view of the public concern over the draft proposals, it will want to ensure that all aspects have been fully considered, said a Department of Health spokesperson and they will be asking NICE if it has taken into account "the wider social implications of not approving the drugs' use, especially the benefits and costs to carers as well as patients".

NICE has already stated that patients already taking the drugs would not have them withdrawn and adds that the guidance at present was only in draft form and patients would not be affected until the final decision in July, when the consultation had been finished. MPs have been inundated with letters and calls from constituents concerned about the plans.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, says they are worried that people with dementia and their carers believe that NICE has changed its mind already, but this is premature.The consultation process is ongoing and anyone affected by NICE's guidance is being encouraged to contact them and tell them how important these drugs are. Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, echoed this view and says that it is crucial for the public to keep up the pressure on NICE to reverse its draft recommendations.

The Alzheimer's Research Trust strongly believes that all of these drugs, which are proven to work and cost only £2.50 a day per patient, should be available to NHS patients.