In final guidance published on14 December 2011, NICE recommends tocilizumab for treating systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), a condition which causes severe pain and other difficulties in children and young people.
The recommendation is for the use of tocilizumab in children and young people aged 2 years and older, where specific previous treatments have not produced an adequate response, if the manufacturer makes tocilizumab available with the discount agreed as part of a patient access scheme. In cases where children and young people aged 2 years and older whose disease continues to respond to methotrexate or who have not been treated with methotrexate, tocilizumab isn't recommended. Children and young people currently receiving tocilizumab for the treatment of systemic JIA but who don't meet the recommendation criteria should have the option to continue treatment until it is considered appropriate to stop, in agreement with their clinicians and parents/carers.
Although arthritis is commonly associated with older people, children and young people can also be affected. JIA has no known cause, and covers various forms of the condition. Systemic JIA may start with symptoms such as a fever or rash, with joints eventually becoming swollen and inflamed. It can affect children of any age causing severe pain and difficulties in their everyday life.
Professor Carole Longson, Health Technology Evaluation Centre Director at NICE said: “We are pleased to be able to recommend tocilizumab for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis in today's final guidance. This arthritic condition has a huge impact on the lives of the children and young people with the disease, causing severe pain, fatigue and disability. This affects the child's family and school life, as well as their physical and emotional well-being.
“The discount agreed as part of the patient access scheme put forward by the manufacturer, in addition to the further information they provided at the Committee's request, has enabled the Committee to recommend tocilizumab. The guidance recommends that tocilizumab should be the treatment for children aged over 2 years and young people where their systemic JIA hasn't responded well to other treatments. However if the disease is still responding to methotrexate, or it hasn't been tried yet, then tocilizumab isn't recommended. Tocilizumab now being recommended as a possible treament on the NHS is good news for children with systemic JIA and those caring for them.”
Full guidance:
http://guidance.nice.org.uk/TA238
NICE Press release:
14 December 2011