What has SMC said?

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has not recommended levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone intestinal gel to treat adults with advanced Parkinson’s disease. It is used when oral medicines no longer work well enough.

This document summarises the SMC decision and what it means for patients.

You can find more detailed information about the SMC assessment of levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone intestinal gel by looking at the SMC detailed advice document (SMC2507).

What does SMC’s decision mean for patients?

Levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone intestinal gel for use as described above should not normally be prescribed on the NHS in Scotland. Your healthcare professional should talk with you about other treatment options.

If your healthcare professional thinks you would benefit from it, they can make a request to prescribe levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone intestinal gel. All health boards have procedures in place to consider these requests.

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 SMCs decision

SMC was unable to accept levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone intestinal gel for routine use. The evidence provided by the company on how well the medicine works, along with how much it would cost to use it, was not strong enough. The committee was not satisfied it offers value for money to NHS Scotland. This was despite using a more flexible approach* in the assessment, as it is for a rare condition.

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 Parkinson’s disease and their families. SMC is not responsible for the content of any information provided by external organisations.

Parkinson’s UK

https://www.parkinsons.org.uk           

0808 800  0303                             

 

You can find out more about levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone intestinal gel (brand name: Lecigon®) 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/          

Date advice published: 09 December 2024
SMC ID: SMC2507