High Court challenge over National Institute for Clinical Excellence to hear evidence

Evidence challenging the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s decision to restrict access to dementia drugs on the NHS has been submitted to the High Court.

The Alzheimer’s Society’s dossier claims that Nice “drastically underestimated” costs of care and “overlooked” benefits of drugs to carers.

The charity also claims the healthcare advisory body “ignored the way the decision would grossly discriminate against people of different cultural and educational backgrounds.”

Last month, the High Court agreed to challenge the ruling made by Nice after an application for judicial review was made by pharmaceutical drugs manufacturer Eisai Limited.

It will be the first ever judicial review of Nice, which ruled that all drug treatments for Alzheimer’s disease should not be prescribed on the NHS because of cost. Nice changed its position to allow limited access to treatment following widespread opposition.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “The evidence we are presenting highlights serious flaws in the process Nice have used. The decision is a blow for millions of people already devastated by Alzheimer’s disease. We have been left with no choice but to champion the rights of people with dementia and their carers in the high court.”

A court date has not been set.

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