Alzheimer Scotland Supports Appeal Judgment On NICE Cost-effectiveness Disclosure

Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia
Article Date: 05 May 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the drug companies Pfizer and Eisai, by finding that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) should have allowed public access to the health economics model used to determine the cost-effectiveness of key treatments in people with early stage Alzheimer's. Three judges found that the process by which NICE decided to restrict the anti-dementia medicines for newly diagnosed patients with mild Alzheimer's was procedurally unfair.

Since 22 November 2006, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, following the NICE recommendations, has made it more difficult for people with early Alzheimer's disease to be given these treatments. Alzheimer Scotland has campaigned actively against this recommendation and welcomes today's Court decision .

Jim Jackson, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland, said, "It was grossly unfair of NICE to withhold the full details of their cost-effectiveness model. We will all now be able to examine how they reached their perverse recommendation not to prescribe these treatments at the beginning of the illness, when they are most likely to be of benefit."

Alzheimer Scotland