NHS gives the green light for £840 asthma jab that could help up to 100,000 sufferers who have condition that cannot be treated by an inhaler

December 1, 2016

Many sufferers are constantly breathless and reliant on powerful steroids
Patients will have to travel to specialist clinics to receive monthly jab
The drug works by stopping the production of white blood cells

Sophie Borland Health Editor For The Daily Mail

Published:
19:43 EST, 30 November 2016

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Updated:
19:43 EST, 30 November 2016

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Up to 100,000 adults and children with severe asthma could be prescribed an £840 monthly jab on the NHS.

Rationing body NICE will today give the green light for the injection mepolizumab to be routinely prescribed for patients with refractory eosinophilic asthma – a condition which cannot be controlled by inhalers.

Many sufferers are constantly breathless and reliant on powerful steroids which can cause diabetes, mood swings and high blood pressure.

Up to 100,000 adults and children with severe asthma could be prescribed an £840 monthly jab on the NHS

Patients will have to travel to specialist hospital clinics to receive the jab from a doctor or nurse.

The drug works by stopping the production of white blood cells called eosinophils which cause the airways to become inflamed.

A trial published in The Lancet in September showed patients given the jab were up to 51 per cent less likely to suffer an asthma attack.

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The injection is available in Scotland but had been rejected by NICE earlier this year for not being cost effective.

The watchdog changed its mind after the manufacturer GSK lowered the cost and provided more evidence of its benefits. GPs are now free to send suitable patients for treatment.

Professor Carole Longson, director of the NICE centre for health technology evaluation said: ‘Around 100,000 people in England and Wales have severe asthma that cannot be controlled with their regular medicines.

$NICE will today give the green light for the injection to be routinely prescribed for patients with refractory eosinophilic asthma – a condition which cannot be controlled by inhalers (file photo)$
$NICE will today give the green light for the injection to be routinely prescribed for patients with refractory eosinophilic asthma – a condition which cannot be controlled by inhalers (file photo)$

NICE will today give the green light for the injection to be routinely prescribed for patients with refractory eosinophilic asthma – a condition which cannot be controlled by inhalers (file photo)

‘Symptoms such as constant breathlessness can make it hard to carry out simple day-to-day activities. If they do suffer from an attack, it may lead to hospitalisation and in the worst cases death.’

Kay Boycott, of Asthma UK, said: ‘We are delighted. Mepolizumab has the potential to transform the lives of many people.

‘Not only should it improve some people’s symptoms and reduce the risk of life-threatening asthma attacks, but we hope it will reduce their reliance on corticosteroids.

‘We need to see mepolizumab made available to those who need it as soon as possible.’

Around 5.4million adults and children in the UK have asthma of whom just under 2 per cent have the severe type.

Dr Stephen McDonough, GSK’s UK and Ireland medical director, said: ‘This is great news for eligible adult patients.

‘For many patients, despite taking high doses of inhaled medicines, and often oral corticosteroids, their condition remains uncontrolled putting them at high risk of frequent and serious asthma attacks.’