The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7296 p500
24 April 2004

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Scotland rejects two drugs in latest round of guidance

Two products — nicotinic acid modified release tablets (Niaspan) and macrogol 4000 (Idrolax) — have been rejected for use within NHS Scotland by the Scottish Medicines Consortium. A third product — clindamycin and benzoyl peroxide gel (Duac) — is accepted for restricted use.

The SMC advises that although Idrolax is as effective as lactulose for treating constipation, the additional cost of the product means its use is not justified. Niaspan has similar efficacy to standard release formulations of nicotinic acid but lack of information on how the product compares with other lipid-lowering agents means its use in the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia and mixed dyslipidaemia cannot be endorsed, says the SMC.

Duac once-daily gel should be considered for the treatment of acne after benzoyl peroxide monotherapy has been tried and only when a topical antibiotic is deemed necessary. The SMC points out that the product “offers the advantage of once daily use at no additional cost”.