In its final draft guidance, NICE plans to recommend fingolimod, the first pill-based medicine to help reduce the number of relapses for some adults who have a particular type of multiple sclerosis.
This positive recommendation is a change from NICE's previous draft guidance from December and follows a public consultation during which the manufacturer (Novartis) and clinicians provided additional information and analyses. The draft document recommends fingolimod (Gilenya) as a treatment option for some adults who have highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) This is a type of the condition characterised by periods when symptoms worsen and then improve.
Specifically, NICE provisionally recommends the treatment for adults who have an unchanged or increased relapse rate or ongoing severe relapses compared to the previous year, despite them taking other drugs such as beta interferons. However, until NICE issues final guidance, decisions on the funding of specific treatments should continue to be made at local NHS levels.
