nhs scotland

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has given its recommendation to Alexion’s Ondexxya (andexanet alfa) to routine use on NHS Scotland for the treatment of life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding in adult patients treated with the direct Factor Xa (FXa) inhibitors apixaban or rivaroxaban, it has emerged.

According to data harvested from two Phase 3 studies and a Phase 3b safety study, Ondexxya was shown to “markedly reduce” anti-factor Xa activity of apixaban and rivaroxaban, while 82% of evaluable patients receiving the drug saw their bleeding stop 12 hours after treatment c

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has enabled access to Kyowa Kirin’s Crysvita (burosumab) for the NHS in Scotland to treat X-linked hypophosphataemia (XLH), in children with radiographic evidence of bone disease.

Crysvita is an anti-FGF23 fully human monoclonal antibody, and the first treatment to target the underlying pathophysiology of XLH.

Scottish patients will now be able to access Sanofi and Regeneron’s Libtayo (cemiplimab) via the NHS after it became known that the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) awarded conditional approval to the drug as a monotherapy for the treatment of metastatic or locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) in adults who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation.

The second most prevalent variety of cancer in the UK, there are around 3,000 new diagnoses of CSCC per year in Scotland, with up to 5% of cases progressing to an advanced stage which brings s

Public Health England has released figures that show that HIV rates in bi and gay men have fallen by 73% since 2014 in the UK.

This has largely been attributed to the rise in the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep). It is a pill that is taken daily, or prior to sex, to prevent HIV infection. If taken consistently it protects cells in the body and disables the virus to stop it multiplying, so it won’t spread even if a condom isn’t used during sex.

Janssen’s Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) has just been approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), meaning that male patients on the NHS in Scotland will now be able to access the drug in combination with prednisone or prednisolone plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for the treatment of newly diagnosed high-risk, metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).

The most common cancer in UK men, there are around 47,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the country every year.

NHS Scotland has commissioned Hemlibra (emicizumab), by Chungai Pharma UK Ltd and Roche Products Ltd, to treat people with congenital haemophilia A without factor VIII inhibitors.

Hemlibra is self-administered by injection, and has multiple dosing options ranging from once a week to once every four weeks.

In clinical trials, Hemlibra dosed once or every two weeks led to a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in treated bleeds compared to on-demand treatment.

Image Credit: US Air Force Valerie Monroy

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has announced its acceptance of Buvidal (buprenorphine prolonged-release solution for subcutaneous injection) from Swedish pharma and biotech firm Camurus, approving its use for patients on NHS Scotland for the treatment of opioid dependence.

The decision covers patients over the age of 16, administered weekly or monthly “within a framework of medical, social and psychological treatment”.

Safe Patient Systems platform

Mobile healthcare firm Safe Patient Systems is partnering with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) to provide mobile healthcare services to patients with COPD and heart failure.

The services will be implemented in the Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire areas of Scotland, a country the firm believes is at the forefront of telehealth and telecare in Europe.

NHS Scotland has spent around £230 million on diabetes and obesity drugs in the past three years, according to data obtained by the Conservatives.

The figures were £75.7 million in 2013-14, £73.2 million in 2012-13 and £74.2 million in 2011-12, with a further £6.1 million spent on obesity drugs over that time.

Diabetes UK is already calling the prevalence of the condition a ‘national health emergency’ and wants everyone aged 40 to 74 to be given an NHS health check.