Scottish Medicines Consortium provokes mixed reactions

Two decisions by the Scottish Medicines Consortium, the UK body responsible for evaluating drug effectiveness in Scotland, have provoked mixed responses from drugmakers and patient groups.

The MS Society, which campaigns for improved treatments for multiple sclerosis, expressed "bitter disappointment" at the SMC decision to advise Scottish National Health Service doctors not to prescribe Tysabri (natalizumab). The drug is co-developed by Ireland's Elan and US drugmaker Biogen Idec.

Mark Hazelwood, director of the MS Society Scotland, said: "we are bitterly disappointed that the SMC has decided not to fund Tysabri on the NHS, despite acknowledging that the clinical case was good." He added that the verdict "means people with the most aggressive form of relapsing remitting MS now have little or no option."