What has SMC said?
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted sotatercept used together with other treatments in adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to help improve exercise capacity. PAH is a condition that causes high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs leading to breathlessness and fatigue. Sotatercept is used with other PAH medicines to treat adults who have a moderate or marked limitation in their physical activity.
SMC has accepted sotatercept for restricted use. The restriction means that it is accepted for use in the patients described above when they are considered to have intermediate-low risk status using the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) risk rating scheme.
This document summarises the SMC decision and what it means for patients.
You can find more detailed information about the SMC assessment of sotatercept by looking at the SMC Detailed Advice Document (SMC2923).
What does SMC’s decision mean for patients?
Sotatercept for use as described above 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 here: 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: https://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/how-we-decide/
More information and support
The organisation below can provide more information and support for people living with PAH and their families. SMC is not responsible for the content of any information provided by external organisations.
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Association UK
https://www.phauk.org
You can find out more about sotatercept (brand name: Winrevair®) 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/