The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7465 p171
18 August 2007

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News summary

Scottish Medicines Consortium accepts five drugs and rejects four in latest appraisals

Dopamine receptor agonist rotigotine (Neupro) is among five drugs accepted for use within NHS Scotland this week. The Scottish Medicines Consortium rejected a further four drugs.

Rotigotine transdermal patch is accepted by the SMC for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of advanced Parkinson’s disease in combination with levodopa. Its use is restricted to patients for whom this route of delivery would facilitate treatment, says the SMC.

Clopidogrel tablets (Plavix) are accepted for patients with acute myocardial infarction, in combination with aspirin. Treatment is restricted to four weeks and has been shown to improve the condition of the infarct-related artery as well as clinical endpoints, says the SMC. Nebivolol tablets (Nebilet) have also been approved for elderly patients with stable mild and moderate chronic heart failure.

The SMC has accepted insulin detemir (Levemir) injected via the InnoLet device for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in patients for whom insulin detemir is an appropriate choice of insulin and who have poor visual acuity and dexterity problems. Vinorelbine capsules (Navelbine) have been accepted for the treatment of advanced breast cancer following an abbreviated submission to the SMC.

Four drugs have been rejected. The manufacturers did not present sufficiently robust economic analyses, the SMC says. These are:

• bortezomib (Velcade) for the treatment of progressive multiple myeloma in patients who have received at least one prior therapy and have already undergone or are unsuitable for bone marrow transplantation

• idursulfase (Elaprase) for the long-term treatment of patients with Hunter syndrome

• liposomal cytarabine suspension (DepoCyte) for the treatment of lymphomatous meningitis

• pregabalin capsules (Lyrica) for the treatment of central neuropathic pain in adults