NICE gives wet AMD therapy green light

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has announced that Eylea (aflibercept, Bayer HealthCare, Leverkusen, Germany) should be recommended for the treatment of patients with wet age related macular degeneration (wAMD).

The decision to fast track this new treatment for wAMD will mean that eligible patients in England and Wales will have an alternative therapeutic option available to them. “This decision will be welcomed by ophthalmologists across England and Wales as Eylea has the potential to relieve the considerable pressure currently on eye services,” according to Dr Sobha Sivaprasad, consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital and King’s College Hospital, London, UK.

More and more people are being diagnosed with wAMD every year as a result of the ageing population and if left untreated or inadequately treated can jeopardise a patient’s sight. “This [decision] is particularly important for those patients who travel long distances for treatment or whose careers and family take repeated time of work to accompany the patient,” said Mr Ian Pearce, consultant ophthalmologist from Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK. “Once established on therapy, patients will now only need to visit the hospital every two months, allowing them to lead as normal a life as possible.”

Mr Rob Johnston, consultant in ophthalmology from Gloucestershire Hospital, UK, added, “In any therapy area it is important to offer patient choice. With this positive decision from NICE we are able to provide a cost effective treatment option that fits around a patient’s life and avoids the disruption of never-ending monthly hospital visits while reducing the burden on NHS services.”

For more detailed information on this decision you can visit NICE’s website here or visit Bayer HealthCare.