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 does not recommend the prescribing of Rasburicase powder and solvent for concentrate for solution for infusion (Fasturtec®▼) for the “off label” treatment of severe, refractory, tophaceous gout resistant to xanthine oxidase inhibitors (allopurinol & febuxostat) and uricosuric agents (benzbromarone) or for whom these drugs are contraindicated.
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of RISANKIZUMAB solution for injection (Skyrizi®▼), by specialists only,
for psoriatic arthritis in accordance with NICE TA803.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside APPROVED
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of rituximab infusion for rheumatoid arthritis in accordance with NICE TA195 and in accordance with the Mersey Rheumatoid Arthritis Biologics Pathway. Treatment should be initiated and supervised by a rheumatologist.