A treatment for endometriosis will not be rolled out on the NHS despite being approved for use in the UK last week.
The new pill, a combination of the drugs relugolix, estradiol and norethisterone acetate, has been shown to dramatically reduce the painful symptoms of the disease.
Endometriosis occurs when the uterine lining grows outside the uterus 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 receive a diagnosis.
The new daily tablet reduces levels of the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone.
Endometriosis occurs when the uterine lining grows outside the uterus and affects one in ten women in the UK (file image)
A 2022 study published in The Lancet found that 75 percent of women taking the new combination reported less 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.
He argued that there is no evidence to show that the drug combination is more effective than existing treatments.
Currently, patients with endometriosis are often given anti-inflammatory drugs or the birth control pill, which suppresses progesterone.
Surgery is sometimes done to remove patches of endometriosis tissue.
After medical safety regulators concluded last week that the combination was safe, it will now be available privately.
Currently, patients with endometriosis are usually given anti-inflammatory drugs or the contraceptive pill, which suppresses progesterone (file image)
A one-month supply is expected to cost around £75.
But experts have called on NICE to fund the new treatment, arguing that thousands of women are failing to respond to current treatments.
“As treatments available in the UK are limited, combination therapy with relugolix may help people manage the pain of endometriosis,” said Professor Andrew Horne, a reproductive health expert at the University of Edinburgh.
‘The severe pain associated with endometriosis can be crippling and have a devastating impact on people’s lives, from their work to their intimate relationships and their mental health.’
NICE is expected to make a final decision on whether to fund the new treatment in 2025.
