Hundreds of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers in the north and north-east could be given a powerful new drug to ease their pain.
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) last night said it had approved plans to provide tocilizumab to patients who have not responded to other treatments.
Marketed under the name RoActemra, the drug targets an inflammatory signalling molecule called interleukin-6 to reduce painful symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
Used in combination with the standard anti-inflammatory drug methotrexate (MTX) it has improved remission rates six-fold.
The decision to make the drug available on the NHS in Scotland at £9,318 a year per person is a boost for sufferers – it has provisionally been judged too expensive by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) which assesses the cost-effectiveness of treatments in England and Wales.
A spokesman for drugs manufacturer Roche said conventional medicines do not help 10% of the estimated 35,000 rheumatoid arthritis suffers in Scotland. It means that around 3,500 people who have severe forms of the disease could benefit from the new treatment.
The news has been welcomed by medical professionals and rheumatoid arthritis support groups.
A spokeswoman for the British Medical Association Scotland said: “With advances in science and technology, there are more new treatments coming on line for a range of conditions which can alleviate pain for patients and improve quality of life.
“These are welcome developments, particularly if it means that patients can avoid hospital admissions and their outcomes improve.”
Arthritis Care chief executive Neil Betteridge, vice-president of the European League against Rheumatism, said: “We are delighted the SMC has taken the decision to make tocilizumab available on the NHS in Scotland.
“There are a number of treatments currently available but they simply do not work for everyone.
“There are people who are most severely affected by this debilitating condition – living in intense pain, unable to work, often struggling even to walk – who have been failed by existing treatments, and it's for them that tocilizumab could provide real hope.”
Mr Betteridge hopes the drug will soon be available in England and Wales.
His comments were echoed by Scottish Tory health spokeswoman Mary Scanlon and rheumatologist Professor John Isaacs, from the Institute of Cellular Medicine at Newcastle University.
Prof Isaacs said: “This is fantastic news for people in Scotland who suffer from this disabling, lifelong disease.
“However, it also highlights the disparities in accessing treatment between Scotland and the rest of the UK.”
Highlands and Islands MSP Miss Scanlon said: “This drug is very welcome news for sufferers in Scotland.
“There have been several occasions in the past when Nice has approved drugs in England but not in Scotland so it is great to see SMC leading the way.”
A spokeswoman for the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society said: “We are delighted that people in Scotland will be able to be treated with this drug.
“It works in a different way to treatment that is currently available so it is good news for people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.
“A small number of people will benefit from the drug but the impact on people’s lives will be tremendous.”
A spokesman for the SMC said: “We look at the information provided to us by the manufacturer, examine how effective the drug will be and identify how they have arrived at a particular price.
“We decided that it would be good value for money for the NHS in Scotland.
“This is good news for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers and clinicians in Scotland who are looking for a new effective drug to prescribe that is reasonable in price.”