SMC rules on six more medicines
Sleepy patients are denied treatments by the Scottish Medicines
Consortium |
Provigil (modafinil) should not be used for excessive sleepiness associated with obstructive sleep apnoea, hypopnoea or moderate to severe shift work sleep disorder, the Scottish
Medicines Consortium advised NHS prescribers in NHS Scotland last month.
However, Reminyl XL (galantamine hydrobromide) prolonged-release capsules
have been accepted by the SMC (for use for the treatment of mild-to-moderately
severe dementia in Alzheimer’s disease in patients for whom therapy
with galantamine is appropriate) and four further medicines have been
accepted for restricted use.
Insulin detemir has been accepted for the treatment of children and adolescents
with diabetes mellitus, but only in those attempting to improve their
glycaemic control. The SMC has also accepted Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate,
taken by mouth in combination with metformin and sulphonylurea) for the
treatment of diabetes patients who are unable to achieve sufficient control
of blood sugar levels, but has restricted it to those who have tried
dual oral therapy and who are unwilling to move on to insulin.
It has also accepted Navelbine Oral (vinorelbine capsules) for first-choice
treatment of stage III or IV non-small-cell lung cancer, although it
has restricted it to use by cancer specialists as an alternative to the
same drug used intravenously.
Finally, Inegy (ezetimibe and simvastatin) has been accepted for use,
but only in patients who have failed to achieve target cholesterol levels
through using statins alone after titration of dose and optimisation
of use (and in whom the combination of ezetimibe 10mg and simvastatin
20mg, 40mg or 80mg is appropriate). |
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