Recommendations
This section contains a list of the policy recommendations of the Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee.
Reviews of the new medicines have been conducted by our pharmacists using a number of resources including National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) which is a Special health Authority (SHA) set up in 1999. It is used to give advice to the NHS on best clinical practice including the clinical and cost effectiveness of drugs and other treatments.
Definitions and criteria for the categorisation of medicines
Legacy Merseyside
New Cheshire and Merseyside
Transition of Commissioning Policies
On 1st July 2022 NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB) became the new statutory body responsible for ensuring health care services are available to meet the reasonable needs of the people of Cheshire & Merseyside.
Until such time as a single suite of commissioning policies can be developed and adopted, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside will continue to adopt and operate the CCG policies it has inherited at Place/borough level, which means that there will be no immediate change in commissioning policy for local people resident in those Places/boroughs from what was in place prior to 1st July 2022.
Documents
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of abatacept infusion and subcutaneous injection (Orencia ®) for rheumatoid arthritis and infusion for polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis as described below.
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of ABROCITINIB tablets (Cibinqo®▼), TRALOKINUMAB injection (Adtralza®▼) or UPADACITINIB prolonged-release tablets (Rinvoq®▼), by specialists only, for treating moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in accordance with NICE TA814.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside APPROVED
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of adalimumab injection (Humira®) for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis and in patients fitting other criteria commissioned by Pan Mersey CCGs, as described.
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab, by specialists only, for the treatment of moderate rheumatoid arthritis after conventional DMARDs have failed and in accordance with NICE TA715.
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of ANDEXANET ALFA infusion (Ondexxya®▼), by specialists only, for reversing anticoagulation from apixaban, edoxaban or rivaroxaban, when used in accordance with the criteria in NICE TA697.
The Cheshire and Merseyside Interim Area Prescribing Group recommends the prescribing of AVATROMBOPAG tablets (Doptelet®▼), by specialists only, for primary chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in accordance with NICE TA853.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside APPROVED
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of azithromycin tablets in selected high risk patients, when recommended by a respiratory specialist, for the prevention of exacerbations in COPD and bronchiectasis.