Charity calls for introduction of arthritis drugs

A local health charity is calling on the Health Minister Bairbre de Brún to introduce new arthritis drugs to the NHS in Northern Ireland.

Arthritis Care Northern Ireland has been lobbying the minister for the past year to find the funds for the drugs which could dramatically change the lives of people suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis.

Arthritis is the largest single cause of physical disability in the UK and in Northern Ireland over 200,000 people suffer from arthritis.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has approved the use of Enbrel and Remicade for NHS patients in England and Wales, for whom conventional treatments have failed, but the decision does not cover Northern Ireland or Scotland.

In a statement on Tuesday Ms de Brún said she was aware of the NICE approval of the use of drugs Enbrel and Remicade for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. “Although NICE guidance applies only to England and Wales, my Department will be considering the implications of this guidance here,” she said.

“It is essential that these medicines continue to be prescribed and monitored by hospital based specialist teams. As identified in the NICE guidance, further evaluation will be necessary to determine clinical effectiveness of these medicines in the longer term.”

Both drugs are Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha blockers (anti-TNFs). They work by switching off TNF, which stimulates cells to produce the inflammation response that triggers joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.

According to NI Arthritis Care Policy and Campaign Manager Steve McBride, there are around 150 people in the province waiting for the drugs, which cost £8,000 per patient per year.

The Arthritis Care NI Annual Conference for 2002 will be held on Saturday 27 April 2002, at the Armagh City Hotel in Armagh. It follows Arthritis Care Week which runs from 20-27 April.

NICE estimates 370,000 people are affected by rheumatoid arthritis in England and Wales, but only 10 per cent suffer from the form of the disease in a severe enough form for them to qualify for the drug treatment.

(AMcE)