What has SMC said?
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted difelikefalin for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe itch (pruritis) due to chronic kidney disease. It is used in patients who are receiving dialysis.
SMC has accepted difelikefalin for restricted use. The restriction means that difelikefalin is accepted to treat the patients described above, where the best available commonly used treatments have not worked well enough to control their itch.
This document summarises the SMC decision and what it means for patients.
You can find more detailed information about the SMC assessment of difelikefalin by looking at the SMC Detailed Advice Document (SMC2623).
What does SMC's decision mean for patients?
Difelikefalin is available for prescribing on the NHS in Scotland.
Your healthcare professional can discuss with you if it is the right treatment for you.
You can find more information about making decisions about your treatment in this booklet called: Medicines in Scotland: What’s the right treatment for me?
More about SMC’s decision
SMC’s decision takes into account a confidential discount offered by the pharmaceutical company.
How does SMC make its decision?
SMC carefully considers every new medicine to make sure it benefits patients and is likely to be a good use of NHS resources.
To do this SMC studies the following:
- Evidence from the company about how well the medicine works compared with current treatments available in Scotland, in relation to how much they will cost to buy and use to treat patients.
- Information from patient groups about the potential impact of the medicine on patients and carers.
- Advice from healthcare professionals about any benefits of the new medicine compared to current treatment, along with how the new medicine is likely to be used.
When SMC assesses a medicine it takes account of the needs of all patients in NHSScotland, not only those who may be treated with the medicine.
You can find out more about how SMC decides here: htps://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/how-we-decide/
More information and support
The organisation below can give more information and support for people with chronic kidney disease and their families. SMC is not responsible for the content of any information provided by external organisations.
Kidney Research UK
https://www.kidneyresearchuk.org
0300 3031100
You can find out more about difelikefalin (Kapruvia®) in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) by searching for the medicine name on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) website https://products.mhra.gov.uk