NHS England funds new drug for people with uncontrolled bleeding disease

NHS England is funding a new drug to treat people with a genetic disorder where they can bleed severely.

NHS England will fund a drug to treat people with Haemophilia A , a condition which can cause uncontrolled bleeding as they don’t have enough of a blood clotting protein or it doesn’t work properly.

People with Haemophilia A are at risk of uncontrolled bleeding, which left un-tackled can lead to serious harm or death. They may also suffer from bleeding gums, have skin that bruises easily and experience pain and stiffness around the joints.

The new drug, emicizumab, mimics the action of the blood protein patients with Haemophilia A need to avoid uncontrolled bleeding. Patients currently undergo multiple time-consuming infusions every week with this new drug reducing treatment times to a single injection given once every week or fortnight.

NHS England is now funding the drug for around 2,000 people who live with the condition.

Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said: “Giving patients access to world class, trailblazing drugs and therapies is a key part of the NHS Long Term Plan which aims to save thousands more lives.

“As a parent I know that cuts and scrapes happen to kids all the time, but for many families these routine accidents can be distressing and life-threatening, so this new treatment will change lives and lift a weight from thousands of parents.

“This treatment has the potential to significantly improve the lives of people with haemophilia, especially children – reducing treatment time and even ending the dangerous bleeds which can lead to life-threatening cuts and life-changing damage.”

Liz Carroll, chief executive of The Haemophilia Society, said: “This decision is fantastic news for our community.  Current treatments can require intravenous infusions multiple times a week which can place a significant burden on people with haemophilia and their carers.  This decision will mean that people will have the opportunity to have treatment less frequently without intravenous access which will enable many to live their lives more freely.’’