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 azithromycin tablets in selected high risk patients, when recommended by a respiratory specialist, for the prevention of exacerbations in COPD and bronchiectasis.
The Cheshire and Merseyside Area Prescribing Group recommends the prescribing of BARICITINIB tablets (Olumiant®), by specialists only, for patients hospitalised due to COVID-19 (adults and children aged 2 years and over).
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside APPROVED
The Cheshire and Merseyside Area Prescribing Group does not recommend the prescribing of CASIRIVIMAB plus IMDEVIMAB solution for infusion (Ronapreve®▼), for treating COVID-19 in accordance with NICE TA878.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside APPROVED
NHS England specialised commissining resources: the clinical reference group responsible for cystic fibrosis has published a commissioning policy that defines access to a particular service for a cohort of patients.
The Cheshire and Merseyside Area Prescribing Group recommends the prescribing of NIRMATRELVIR plus RITONAVIR tablets (Paxlovid®▼), SOTROVIMAB solution for infusion (Xevudy®▼) and TOCILIZUMAB solution for infusion (RoActemra®▼) by specialists only, for treating COVID-19 in accordance with NICE TA878.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside APPROVED
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee does not recommend the prescribing of PREDNISOLONE ENTERIC COATED 2.5 mg and 5 mg tablets.
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of ROFLUMILAST tablets (Daxas®▼) following specialist recommendation as an add-on to bronchodilator therapy, for treating severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults with chronic bronchitis (in accordance with NICE TA461).