A treatment for endometriosis will not be rolled out on the NHS despite getting approval for use in the UK last week.
The new pill, a combination of the drugs relugolix, oestradiol and norethisterone acetate, has been shown to dramatically reduce the disease’s painful symptoms.
Endometriosis occurs when the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus itself, and affects one in ten women in the UK.
Patients in the UK wait, on average, more than eight years from the onset of symptoms to get a diagnosis.
The new daily tablet reduces levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen and progesterone.
Endometriosis occurs when the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus itself, and affects one in ten women in the UK (stock image)
A study from 2022, published in The Lancet, found that 75 per cent of women on the new combo reported having reduced pain.
However, earlier this year the NHS spending watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), said it would not offer it to the 78,000 women in the UK living with endometriosis.
It argued there is not evidence to show that the drug combo is more effective than existing treatments.
Currently, endometriosis patients typically receive anti-inflammatory drugs or the birth control pill, which suppresses progesterone.
Surgery is sometimes carried out to remove patches of endometriosis tissue.
After medical safety regulators concluded the combo was safe last week, it will now be available privately.
Currently, endometriosis patients typically receive anti-inflammatory drugs or the birth control pill, which suppresses progesterone (stock image)
A month’s supply is expected to cost about £75.
But experts have called on NICE to fund the new treatment, as they argue that thousands of women do not respond to current treatments.
‘With limited treatments available in the UK, relugolix combination therapy may help people take control of their endometriosis pain,’ said Professor Andrew Horne, a reproductive health expert at the University of Edinburgh.
‘The intense pain associated with endometriosis can be crippling and have a devastating impact on people’s lives, from their work to intimate relationships and mental health.’
NICE is expected to make a final call on whether it will fund the new treatment in 2025.