NICE recommends Spinraza and Evrysdi for routine use; Imfinzi for aggressive stomach cancer
- ipharmaservices
- 21 hours ago
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NICE backs routine NHS access to Spinraza and Evrysdi for SMA
People living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in England are set to gain routine access to two disease‑modifying therapies after NICE issued final draft guidance recommending nusinersen and risdiplam for use on the NHS. The decision moves both medicines out of managed access arrangements into standard commissioning, providing long‑term certainty for patients and families.
SMA is a rare inherited neuromuscular disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness, affecting movement, breathing and swallowing, and can lead to severe disability or early death without treatment. Around 1,150 people in England are estimated to be living with SMA types 1 to 3, many of whom are children. By recommending routine funding, NICE aims to widen access to therapies that can significantly alter the course of the disease.
The committee concluded that evidence from clinical trials and real‑world NHS experience shows that nusinersen and risdiplam can improve survival, slow disease progression and help people maintain motor function and independence. Treatment has been shown to support key developmental milestones such as sitting, standing and walking, and to reduce the need for permanent ventilation in more severely affected children. Carers have also reported better mental health, improved sleep and a greater ability to balance caring with work and family life when patients receive effective therapy.
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NICE’s experts stressed that even modest gains—such as preserving movement in the hands or arms—can make a major difference by enabling communication, use of technology and greater participation in daily activities. Stabilising disease rather than reversing it was recognised as a meaningful outcome in a progressive, life‑limiting condition like SMA. Because no single treatment is suitable for every patient, the guidance supports access to both nusinersen and risdiplam so clinicians, patients and families can choose the option best aligned with individual clinical needs and preferences.
NICE backs Imfinzi for aggressive stomach cancer on the NHS
More than 1,500 people a year in England with an aggressive form of stomach cancer are expected to gain access to durvalumab (Imfinzi) on the NHS, after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued a positive recommendation. The decision makes durvalumab the first immunotherapy routinely available for this patient group and is aimed at helping people live longer and lowering the risk of their cancer returning.
NICE has recommended durvalumab for adults with resectable gastric or gastro‑oesophageal junction cancer that has not spread extensively and can be removed surgically. These cancers, which arise in the stomach or where the stomach meets the oesophagus, are often diagnosed at an advanced stage and are associated with a high risk of relapse even when surgery is possible.
The guidance follows a marketing authorisation from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) that was granted 17 days earlier. Durvalumab is among the first medicines to move through a streamlined, aligned pathway between MHRA and NICE, allowing eligible patients to access the treatment faster than under traditional appraisal timelines.
Evidence from a phase 3 clinical trial showed that adding durvalumab to FLOT chemotherapy (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin and docetaxel) before and after surgery, followed by durvalumab monotherapy, improved both progression‑free survival and overall survival versus FLOT alone.
In the trial, people treated with durvalumab had a median of just over 40 months before their cancer worsened, compared with just over 32 months for those receiving chemotherapy alone, and three‑year survival was higher at 68.6% versus 61.9% with standard treatment.
Patient and clinical experts contributing to the NICE appraisal highlighted that recurrence after surgery is common and long‑term outcomes remain poor with existing options. Durvalumab is administered as an intravenous infusion every four weeks and works by blocking the PD‑L1 protein, helping the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells.
AstraZeneca has agreed a confidential commercial arrangement with NHS England that provides the drug to the health service at a discounted price.
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