20 Wednesday April 13 2022 | the times
News
NHS patients in England are expected
to benefit from two new drugs that com-
bat superbug infections after they were
approved by the treatments watchdog.
The National Institute for Health
and Care Excellence (Nice) said that
the drugs, cefiderocol and ceftazidime
with avibactam, offered value for
money and would save the lives of
patients who had no other options.
They are designed to help patients with
severe drug-resistant infections includ-
ing cases of pneumonia and sepsis.
The drugs’ manufacturers will be
paid a fixed annual fee for at least three
years, rather than the NHS buying each
dose separately.
The payment model is designed to
incentivise companies to make drugs of
this kind even though they are rarely
used and would not generate large
profits.
Nick Crabb, the programme director
in Nice’s science, evidence and
analytics directorate, urged other
countries to adopt similar strategies.
“We cannot address the global threat of
antimicrobial resistance alone, since
the UK represents only about 3 per cent
of the global market for antimicrobials,”
he said.
Kat Lay Health Editor
BAV MEDIASuperbug drugs
will save lives of
sickest patients
“We encourage other countries to
offer similar incentives in their own
domestic markets, so that collectively
we can achieve a meaningful incentive
for global investment in antimicrobials.”
Officials have warned that growing
antimicrobial resistance could make
many modern medical interventions
impossible because of the risk of infec-
tion.
Nice said that the drugs would help
to ensure that chemotherapy, surgery
and other procedures could go ahead.
Blake Dark, the NHS commercial
medicines director, said: “This is an im-
portant step in our world-leading
approach to incentivise innovation in
antimicrobial drugs and the battle
against drug-resistant infections.
“The NHS will now use its commer-
cial power to secure deals that will en-
able patients to benefit from these
treatments, paving the way for a pipe-
line of future treatment options.”
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said:
“I’m incredibly proud that the UK’s
world-leading innovations are helping
to develop two antibiotics which will
save many lives.
“NHS patients with severe resistance
to other drugs could soon access these
medicines, giving them a much greater
chance of survival.”Winner by a neck Two Konik ponies fight for primacy on Wicken Fen. The Polish
breed roam wild on the Cambridgeshire nature reserve to restore the habitatTrackers for
people with
dementia
Police forces are offering GPS tracking
devices to people with dementia who
are at high risk of going missing.
Avon & Somerset police have 30
devices developed by MindMe, a Som-
erset-based company, after a donation
by Bristol Water and Wessex Water.
The force’s dementia safeguarding
scheme will offer the devices to 30
people it considers to be the most vul-
nerable, based on risk assessments.
According to a University of East
Anglia study, 70 per cent of dementia
sufferers are at risk of going missing at
least once; 40,000 are reported missing
for the first time each year. Some may
go missing several times.
The devices can be worn on the wrist
or on a lanyard round the neck.
Sergeant Stuart King, who runs the
dementia safeguarding scheme, said:
“Wearable devices are not a substitute
for good care but when a vulnerable
person is reported missing, every min-
ute counts and that is where modern
technology can make a crucial differ-
ence. I’d strongly encourage anyone
caring for a person living with dementia
to look into GPS tracking devices if
they can. While the number of devices
we can supply is limited, we hope to be
able to offer this service to those known
to be at the greatest risk.”
Sussex police were the first force to
adopt the MindMe technology in 2013.Will Humphries
Southwest Correspondent