NICE rules against drug treatment for eye complications

[everydayupsanddowns]

Article on the DUK website

For the past 25 years, laser treatment has been the current standard treatment on the NHS and although it does stop deterioration, it has not been shown to improve vision. Over time, laser surgery can cause irreversible damage to the surrounding eye tissue due to the destructive nature of the treatment.

Significant improvements in vision

Lucentis is the first licensed treatment to improve vision and vision-related quality of life in people with sight loss due to DMO. Research has shown that Lucentis not only offers stabilisation of vision loss but that it can also lead to significant improvements in vision.

DUK are organising a petition to attempt to get NICE to reconsider.

 

[novorapidboi26]

So dis this method stop the regrowth of new blood vessels.........?

Would that not have harmful effects also?

 

[heasandford]

My mother has Macular Degeneration (Age-related, nothing to do with diabetes) and Lucentis has transformed the treatment/outcome for people with it - there wasn't any before and now people are prevented from going blind. It is expensive....

 

[HelenM]

It might be better if they could also persuade Nice to investigate the licencing of Avastin. This is very much cheaper than Lucentis and may as effective.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jan/02/blindness-drug-avastin-nhs-nice

From the Good hope Hospital website

If you are a patient it would be helpful if you would write to your MP and ask for funding to investigate the use of Avastin in diabetic retinopathy.

http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/easdec/drugtreatment.htm