2001/011 - NICE welcomes Fifth Wave Work Programme
Press Release
NICE 2001/011 Issued 12 March 2001
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence today welcomed the announcement of additional topics for its forward work programme. The Department of Health and the National Assembly for Wales have formally referred a list of eight technologies to the Institute for appraisal, which includes drugs to treat cancer, drugs for heart attack victims, and surgical treatments for obesity.
Andrew Dillon, NICE Chief Executive said, "We have noted the referrals to the Institute of these technologies for appraisal and have today commenced work on scheduling them into our ongoing timetables.
The technologies, which form the fifth wave of the Institutes work programme, will be appraised following a revised appraisal process. This process was discussed and finalised at the Institute's Board meeting on the 6th February 2001. Amendments following this meeting are being incorporated into the documentation which will, be published on the NICE website shortly along with an updated forward work programme.
Ends
Notes for Editors
1. The technologies which have been referred to NICE are:
- STI-571 for chronic myeloid leukemia
- Caelyx for ovarian cancer
- thrombolytic - "clot busting"- drugs for heart attacks
- surgical treatments for obesity
- computerised cognitive behavior therapy for depression and anxiety
- photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration
- hip resurfacing for younger patients or more active patients with hip disease
- ultrasonic devices for locating veins so patients can be injected or fed intravenously
2. The following descriptions of the above technologies have been taken verbatim from the Department of Health's press release (issued Monday 11 March 2001, ref. 2001/0126 http://tap.ccta.gov.uk/doh/intpress.nsf/page/2001-0126?OpenDocument)
STI-571 for chronic myeloid leukaemia
STI-571 is a new drug in development for the predominant form of chronic myeloid leukaemia. This is one of a number of forms of cancer of the white blood cells, responsible for about 500 deaths a year. The drug may provide an important new option for treating the disease, although some uncertainties remain.
Caelyx for ovarian cancer
Caelyx is a special formulation of one of the anthracycline drugs, a well-established class of cytotoxic (cell-killing) drugs used to treat various cancers. This formulation is intended to reduce the side-effects of treatment. Caelyx has been used for some years to treat a rare skin cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma, and has now been licensed for use in the much more common ovarian cancer. NICE has already been asked to appraise other drugs in ovarian cancer as part of the comprehensive work-programme on cancer announced last June; this appraisal would ensure that clinicians had comparative guidance available on all the modern drugs to treat this condition.
Drugs for early initiation of thrombolysis in acute heart attack
Myocardial infarction (heart attack) is a major cause of death and disease - an estimated 250,000 people a year have a heart attack and half of these die either immediately or within 30 days. Treatment with a thrombolytic ("clot busting") drug significantly improves the chance of recovery, provided that it is started rapidly. The National Service Framework has set a target "call to needle" time of 60 minutes and this was reiterated in the NHS Plan. This appraisal would focus on thrombolytic drugs which may be especially suitable for early initiation of treatment.
Surgical treatments for morbidly obese people
Obesity is an increasingly common problem in developed countries; in 1997 it was estimated that around 60,000 adults in England and Wales were at serious risk because of their obesity and the figure today will be even higher. Serious obesity increases the risk of life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease - untreated patients have only a one in seven chance of reaching their normal life expectancy. A number of surgical treatments are now available, which reduce the effective size of the stomach or bypass part of the intestinal system, thereby reducing either the ingestion of food or altering its rate of absorption.
Computerised cognitive behaviour therapy for depression and/or anxiety
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a well-recognised treatment for depression, anxiety and other common conditions. Traditionally, it is delivered by one-to-one sessions with health professionals. Various computerised systems are being developed to enable patients to undergo treatment under the supervision of a GP or other primary care clinicians. This may be more acceptable to some patients, as well as opening up the option of CBT to many more patients.
Photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of loss of vision in older people - about 120,000 patients suffer from the predominant (wet) form. Photodynamic therapy is a new treatment for patients with one of the forms of the disease, which involves using a laser in combination with a drug to destroy selectively the abnormal blood vessels which cause the condition.
Hip resurfacing
Younger people with hip disease are usually counselled to wait as long as possible before undergoing Total Hip Replacement (THR); hip implants do not last for ever, and revision replacements are more difficult to perform and have less good outcomes. Hip resurfacing has been developed as an alternative to THR for younger patients and more active patients. The head of the hip joint is replaced with a metal hemisphere and the hip socket is lined with a metal shell, conserving as much of the underlying bone as possible. Appraisal by NICE, which would complement an earlier appraisal of implants for THR, would look at the clinical evidence and advise on whether this technique could be generally recommended for younger and more active people.
Ultrasonic locating devices
Central venous lines (C-lines) are widely used in hospital for seriously-ill patients. They can be used to monitor the patient's condition, to administer potent drugs and to give intravenous feeding. This new technique helps clinicians identify the right point in the vein for inserting the C-line. Available evidence suggests that it may help to reduce complication rates, especially for less experienced staff. NICE appraisal will advise on the best way of using this technology within hospitals. 3. In consultation with its stakeholders, NICE has revised the technology appraisal process. The technologies listed above will be appraised under this new process, which will shortly be published on the NICE website (http://www.nice.org.uk).
This page was last updated: 01 July 2009
