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 SACUBITRIL/VALSARTAN film-coated tablets (Entresto®▼) for treating symptomatic chronic heart failure following specialist initiation and in accordance with NICE TA388.
North West Strategic Clinical Network and Senate
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of SAFINAMIDE (Xadago®▼) following specialist recommendation in the management of mid to late stage Parkinson’s disease.
BLACK NHS West Lancashire CCG
The Cheshire and Merseyside Area Prescribing Group does not currently recommend the prescribing of SECUKINUMAB solution for injection (Cosentyx®) for enthesitis-related arthritis or juvenile psoriatic arthritis.
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of SECUKINUMAB solution for injection (Cosentyx®), by specialists only, for the treatment of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in accordance with NICE TA719.
The Cheshire and Merseyside Area Prescribing Group recommends the prescribing of SEMAGLUTIDE injection (Wegovy®▼), by specialists only, for managing overweight and obesity within a specialist weight management service, in accordance with NICE TA875.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside APPROVED
Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of SODIUM OXYBATE oral solution, by specialists working in a regional and national tertiary commissioned sleep service only, for the treatment of narcolepsy with cataplexy in adult patients in accordance with the Aintree University Hospital Sleep Service Pathway for Narcolepsy.
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of SODIUM ZIRCONIUM CYCLOSILICATE powder for oral suspension (Lokelma®▼) for emergency treatment of life-threatening hyperkalaemia in adults in accordance with NICE TA599.
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of SODIUM ZIRCONIUM CYCLOSILICATE powder for oral suspension (Lokelma®▼) for persistent hyperkalaemia in adults following initiation by a specialist in accordance with NICE TA599.
NHS England specialised commissining resources: the clinical reference group responsible for infectious disease has published a commissioning policy that defines access to a particular service for a cohort of patients.
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee does not recommend the prescribing of SOLIRAMFETOL tablets (Sunosi®▼), for treating excessive daytime sleepiness caused by obstructive sleep apnoea in accordance with NICE TA777.
The Pan Mersey Area Prescribing Committee recommends the prescribing of solriamfetol tablets (Sunosi®▼), by specialists only, for treating excessive daytime sleepiness caused by narcolepsy in accordance with NICE TA758.
The Cheshire and Merseyside Interim Area Prescribing Group recommends the prescribing of SOMATROGON injection (Ngenla®▼), by specialists only, for treating growth disturbance in children and young people aged 3 years and over, in accordance with NICE TA863.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside APPROVED