The most effective drug for Alzheimer’s will be blocked for use on the NHS on Wednesday.
Regulators are expected to declare the new treatment for the disease safe for use but the rationing body for the health service will immediately rule that it is too expensive for NHS patients.
The decision is set to disappoint charities and campaigners who have called for better access to newly emerging drugs on the NHS.
Donanemab has been described as game-changing and research showed it slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s by 35 per cent. Scientists said it could mean patients are able to live at home with a better quality of life for an extra two years.
The decision on donanemab – the second drug found to slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease – is set to mirror one taken in August when lecanemab, the first breakthrough treatment for the condition, was licensed.
The draft guidance from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will mean patients will only be able to obtain either drug from private clinics unless they are part of clinical trials. Health insurance policies are unlikely to cover costs.
Charities and pharmaceutical companies have criticised the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) – the rationing body for the NHS – for disregarding the costs borne by families and society, in making their assessments.
Almost 1 million people in the UK are living with dementia, including one in six people over the age of 80. The figure is expected to reach 1.4 million by 2040 as Britain ages.
