NICE issues final draft guidance for treatments for COVID-19

Final draft recommendations published on the use of treatments for COVID-19

Final draft guidance has been published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on therapeutics for people with COVID-19.

The final draft guidance for the multiple technology appraisal (MTA) recommends several treatment options for treating COVID-19 in adults. The guidance ensures most adults at high risk of severe COVID-19 disease will have access to clinically and cost effective treatments.  

NICE and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC, as part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland) agreed to maintain the collaboration that started through the Research to Access Pathway for Investigational Drugs for COVID-19  (RAPID C-19) by collaborating on the NICE MTA. SMC has had direct input into the decision-making committee that produced the final draft guidance. The final published advice will have the same status for health board consideration as other SMC advice on new medicines.

NICE and the SMC will continue to work together on any updates to this MTA after publication.

NICE has also announced that it is developing a new rapid surveillance and evaluation process for COVID-19 treatments so that they can be made available more quickly if they show promise against new variants.

You can read more about the final draft recommendations here: Final draft guidance | Project documents | Therapeutics for people with COVID-19 [ID4038] | Guidance | NICE