Until now the drug abatacept would only be prescribed as a last chance for those whose wellbeing was crippled by rheumatoid arthritis, but now thousands of patients who are at a much earlier stage of the disease have been given new hope, as the breakthrough drug has been approved for earlier use by the NHS.
The drug abatacept, which is marketed as Orencia, has only been prescribed as a “last chance” attempt at pain relief for those whose wellness had not been improved by a raft of other treatments. One of the first medicines that doctors prescribe is anti-tnf (tumour necrosis factor) drugs, to which around a third of patients do not respond or cannot tolerate. Many sufferers are given a second or third round of anti-tnf until they get a better response, because the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) had deemed abatacept too costly for widespread use. This left thousands of patients with the aggressive disease suffering and in great pain.
However, the watchdog has now ruled doctors can prescribe it to patients much earlier in their treatment, which gives physicians better options to help sufferers. According to Dr Andrew Ostor, consultant rheumatologist at the University of Cambridge, ‘We have been waiting a long time for this. It is wonderful news for patients as it means we will have greater treatment options available to us. How rheumatoid arthritis affects a person is individual. Choice therefore is critical in order to offer our patients the best treatment for them to combat their disease.’
Nearly 700,000 people in the UK are affected by rheumatoid arthritis, a condition which causes chronic pain, stiffness, swelling and fatigue due to the joint damage, making it difficult to move. Therefore, Ailsa Bosworth, chief executive of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, noted that the new ruling ‘is great news for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Finding the right treatment is critical and for too long many clinicians in England haven’t been able to exercise clinical judgment in regard to using Orencia at an earlier stage in the biological pathway. Now this decision is final, it means that they can consider it at the same time as they’re thinking about other potential treatments.’
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