More than 10,000 people at risk from HIV infection are to be enrolled in a trial of an NHS England HIV prevention programme, it was announced yesterday.
The organisation has also revealed that it will fund 10 new specialist treatments for people with HIV.
The new HIV initiative by NHS England and Public Health England follows the recent Court of Appeal ruling that NHS England, with local authorities, has the power to fund the provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), anti-retroviral drugs, for people at risk of HIV.
A large scale clinical trial will be launched next year and is expected to include at least 10,000 participants over the next three years.
NHS England is setting aside up to £10 million to fund the trial and it will work with local authorities, the Local Government Association and Public Health England to implement the findings as part of a wider national rollout.
Dr Jonathan Fielden, director of specialised commissioning and deputy national medical director, NHS England said: “We’re pleased to be able to announce funding not only for 10 new specialised treatments but also a new ground breaking national programme for PrEP that will benefit at least 10,000 people.
“This has, in part, been made possible by the willingness of many pharmaceutical and device companies to come forward with lower and more responsible prices. Continuing this constructive joint working will enable us to fund more new drugs and treatments in the future.”
NHS England’s clinical priorities advisory group advised the organisation on the introduction of the 10 new treatments. These are: pegvisomant for acromegaly as a third-line treatment for adults; auditory brainstem implants for congenital abnormalities of the auditory nerves or cochleae; haematopoietic stem cell transplant : Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma /Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinaemia (adults); everolimus for subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) associated with tuberous sclerosis complex; rituximab for immunoglobulin-G4 related disease (IgG4-RD); microprocessor controlled prosthetic knees; tolvaptan for hyponatraemia secondary to the Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone (SIADH) for patients who require cancer chemotherapy; ivacaftor for children (2-5 years) with cystic fibrosis; sodium oxybate for symptom control for narcolepsy with cataplexy (children); pasireotide for Cushing’s Disease.
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