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Romiplostim should be used to treat patients with a rare blood disorder on the NHS, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended.
NICE said the drug was a cost effective treatment for patients with chronic Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).
The condition causes the immune system to destroy vital platelets which are necessary for blood clotting.
Between 3,000 and 3,500 people in the UK have the disease, and sufferers have abnormally low levels of platelets in the blood.
Some patients may only have the condition for a short period of time, but those who have ITP for over a year are defined as having chronic ITP.
In this final guidance from NICE, romiplostim is recommended for the treatment of adults if they have not responded to standard active treatments and rescue therapies.
The independent organisation which is responsible for providing national guidance and standards on drugs also recommended the treatment to patients who have a high risk of bleeding that requires frequent courses of rescue therapies.
Dr Carole Longson, of NICE, said: “We are pleased to be able to recommend the use of romiplostim as a clinically and cost effective treatment for some people with severe, chronic ITP, a serious and sometimes debilitating disorder. The manufacturer submitted a patient access scheme, and the cost of the treatment to the NHS is reduced.”
Copyright © Press Association 2011
