The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is set to give the green light for ranibizumab (Lucentis) to treat diabetic macular oedema.
Previous NICE guidance in 2011 had ruled that the monthly injection costing £750 was too expensive and not 'a good use of NHS resources'. The price has now been dropped.
Diabetic macular oedema is a serious and common complication of diabetes, causing sight problems in around 50,000 people in the UK.
Clara Eaglen, eye health policy and campaigns manager at RNIB said: "We believe NICE has thrown a lifeline to the growing number of people with diabetes facing blindness. Currently people are needlessly losing their sight from diabetic macular oedema."
NICE recommendations
Lucentis is now recommended by NICE as an option for treating sight loss due to diabetic macular oedema if:
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the eye has a central retinal thickness of 400 micrometres or more at the start of treatment
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the manufacturer provides ranibizumab with the discount agreed in the patient access scheme (as revised in 2012).
People currently receiving ranibizumab whose disease does not meet the above criteria should be able to continue treatment until they and their clinician consider it appropriate to stop.
The final draft guidance was published at nice.org.uk last month with final guidance expected in February. The Scottish Medicines Consortium have also recommended Lucentis for the treatment of diabetic macular oedema.
Read the draft guidance on Lucentis.