24.04.12
Cutting costs, not quality
Considering the dispute over which wet AMD drug should be used on the NHS, the choice is whether to save money, or stick to officially approved treatment.
NICE has approved drug Lucentis for use for the eye condition, yet some trusts are using cheaper alternative Avastin. This is used in other countries, but lacks official NICE approval.
As the Macular Disease Society stated, if Avastin is not safe, then it shouldn’t be used at all. If it is, then it should be used everywhere as the cheaper version. A mix of both does not make much sense, unless it is simply to use poorer quality treatment to save money.
The financial pressure on the NHS is undoubtedly causing such policy, which could lead to murkier and murkier situations where price is increasingly given priority over patient safety.
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