The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Consilient Health’s Elmiron (pentosan polysulfate sodium) for bladder pain syndrome.
The company “welcomed” the decision, saying that the organisation has approved the medicine, usually used in BPS with glomerulations or Hunner’s lesions, is used in accordance with specified considerations.
The drug in question works by passing into the urine and attaches to the lining of the bladder, helping to form a protective layer.
The recommendation comes after Consilient Health agreed a Patient Access Scheme with NICE, in order to make the drug available to the NHS. The deal works on the conditions that the medicine is given for patients whose condition has not responded to an adequate trial of standard oral treatments, and who has not been offered it in combination with bladder instillations.
The committee initially published a draft final appraisal for the drug in October, and just last week the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) approved the treatment for use on NHS Scotland for the syndrome.
The announcement has been hailed as “really good news” by Susannah Fraser, communication and media manager, Bladder Health UK, who went on to highlight the importance of the drug by saying “BPS is a debilitating condition and has a considerable detrimental impact on the individual’s lifestyle, ability to work, emotional health and relationships. Their quality of life is hugely compromised.”
BPS is a condition defined as chronic pelvic pain, pressure or discomfort perceived to be related to the bladder and accompanied by at least one other urinary symptom such as urinary urgency or frequency.
