It emerged this week that provisional guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) does not recommend use of beta interferon or glatiramer for treating multiple sclerosis.
The NICE chairman, Professor Michael Rawlins, said on June 21: "The provisional opinion of the Institute's appraisal committee is that other than for those patients who are already receiving these medicines, they should not be made available in the NHS at the present time. This is because, on the basis of a very careful consideration of the evidence, their modest clinical benefit appears to be outweighed by their very high cost."
Professor Rawlins was speaking after the guidance had been leaked to the media. The NICE said that it was "extremely disappointed" that the confidentiality of its appraisal documentation had not been respected.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society said that its reaction to the proposed guidance was one of "absolute horror". "We will be continuing to press that the voice of people with MS is directly heard by people making the decisions," it said.
The NICE appraisal process allows for consultation with patient and professional groups and with the manufacturers, and allows for an appeal (as happened with the taxanes for breast cancer, as discussed above) before any guidance is issued. The appraisal of beta interferon and glatiramer is at the consultation stage, which ends on July 17.