Biologic drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disease in rheumatology, dermatology and gastroenterology
This commissioning guide provides support for the local implementation of NICE guidance through commissioning, and is a resource for people involved in commissioning health and social care services in England. Although this guide focuses on commissioning biologic drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disease, commissioners should also be aware that they may need to commission biologic drugs for a range of other conditions such as asthma, multiple sclerosis and some cancers[a].
This commissioning guide should be read together with the following NICE guidance:
- NICE technology appraisals for biologic drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disease.
- NICE clinical guideline CG79. Rheumatoid arthritis: the management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults
NICE guidance provides evidence-based recommendations about clinically effective and cost-effective treatments and interventions to improve outcomes for local populations. Commissioners should refer to the original guidance for detailed information about the recommendations and selection criteria for each biologic drug and condition. Commissioners should also note that when a NICE technology appraisal recommends use of a drug or treatment, or other technology, the NHS must usually provide funding and resources for it within 3 months of the guidance being published.
Making commissioning decisions based on NICE guidance and accredited information from NHS Evidence can help commissioners to use their resources more effectively.
This commissioning guide highlights any recommendations supporting cases for disinvestment or decommissioning of services by identifying treatments and interventions that do not add value, enabling commissioners to release resources or generate savings where appropriate.
Implementation of the guidance noted above is the responsibility of local commissioners and/or providers. Commissioners and providers are reminded that it is their responsibility to implement this guidance, in their local context, in light of their duties to avoid unlawful discrimination and to have regard to promoting equality of opportunity. Nothing in the guidance should be interpreted in a way which would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.
The guide:
- facilitates the commissioning of biologic drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disease
- specifies service requirements
- helps you determine local service levels
- helps you ensure corporate and quality assurance.
The full text of this commissioning guide can be downloaded or accessed from the navigation menu on the right hand side of the screen. Download the openly available commissioning and benchmarking tool, there is no need to register.
We are keen to improve the commissioning guides in order to better meet the needs of commissioners. Please send us your ideas for future topic-specific guides or other comments.
Read the NICE disclaimer for information on the use and accuracy of content on the NICE website.
December 2011
[a] A non-exhaustive list of examples includes omalizumab for the treatment of uncontrolled asthma (TA133), natalizumab for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (TA127) and rituximab for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (TA65), follicular lymphoma (TA110) and follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (TA137).
This page was last updated: 02 March 2012
- Biologic drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disease in rheumatology, dermatology and gastroenterology
- Commissioning biologic drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disease in rheumatology, dermatology and gastroenterology
- Specifying a service for people requiring biologic drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disease in rheumatology, dermatology and gastroenterology
- Determining local service levels for biologic drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disease
- Assumptions used in estimating a population benchmark
- The commissioning and benchmarking tool
- Ensuring corporate and quality assurance
