May 2007
News
Behind the headlines
NICE respond to ‘flawed and inaccurate' cancer drug report
Responding to the Karolinska Institute report published in the Annals of Oncology, Andrew Dillon, NICE Chief Executive said, “This drug industry sponsored report is flawed, inaccurate and directly contradicts itself in places. NICE has sped up access to effective cancer treatments, Herceptin for breast cancer being a case in point and a recent report by the Professor Richards the Cancer Tsar showed that the use of NICE-recommended cancer drugs is higher than ever. “
NICE and the NPSA launch pilot to investigate new safety solutions for the NHS
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) are collaborating on a pilot project to produce guidance on cost-effective interventions to prevent or mitigate patient harm in the NHS. This follows recommendations made in Safety First, the CMO’s 2006 report, which reaffirmed the place of patient safety at the heart of the healthcare agenda.
The pilot project, which will be carried out between April and November 2007, will assess evidence on clinical and cost-effectiveness and produce recommendations for the NHS of the following safety interventions:
- systems based and IT based interventions in medicines reconciliation
- the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)
Safety guidance is expected to be issued to the NHS in November 2007.
Guidance this month
Clinical guidelines
- Feverish illness: assessment and initial management in children younger than 5 years
- Secondary prevention in primary and secondary care for patients with a myocardial infarction
Technology appraisals
Public health
- None
Interventional procedures
Events
HTAi 2007 – HTA for
Evidence-based Public Health
18-20 June 2007
Barcelona
NHS Confederation: Annual Conference and
Exhibition 2007
20-22 June 2007
London Excel
Coming up next month
NICE expects to issue the following guidance on 27 June 2007:Clinical guidelines
Technology appraisals
- None
Public health
- None