NHS boss announces 600,000 more Brits will get life-saving blood thinners on the NHS in deal which could ‘save 5,000 lives by 2024’
- New drug deal will save 5,000 lives and prevent 21,000 stokes, NHS estimates
- The new oral anticoagulants will be given to patients will irregular heart beats
- NHS boss hopes these drugs will free up health resources by preventing strokes
More than 5,000 lives could be saved and 21,000 stokes prevented thanks to a new NHS deal to expand the use of life-saving blood thinning drugs.
NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard said 610,000 patients would benefit from the scheme over the next three years.
The health service will pay less for oral anticoagulants from next year, following the negotiations with drug manufacturers.
They help prevent strokes by treating blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation, a condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate.
Announcing the deal at the NHS Providers conference, Ms Pritchard claimed it would ‘save thousands of lives’.
NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard says a new drug deal to prescribe 600,000 more patients with anticoagulants will help prevent 20,000 strokes and save 5,000 lives
The new drugs will be given to patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation, a condition causing an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate. The NHS says the condition causes one in five strokes in England. The new anticoagulants will help prevent and actively treat blood clots before they cause a stroke
‘The agreements struck by NHS England will save thousands of lives and prevent many more people suffering the debilitating effects of strokes by making this treatment available to hundreds of thousands more patients,’ she said.
‘The health service now has a proven track record of striking deals with manufacturers to ensure patients in England get cutting-edge care at a price which offers best value for taxpayers.’
It comes after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the UK’s watchdog, recommended the drugs as being more effective for the prevention of atrial fibrillation-related stroke than other anticoagulants.
NHS England estimates providing direct oral anticoagulants to 610,000 more patients will help prevent 21,700 stokes and save 5,400 lives over the next three years.
This commercial agreement for direct oral anticoagulants will go live from 1 January next year.
The cost of the new deal — which covers the nation, instead of local providers striking individual contracts — was not announced.
Patients will be told by their GP, or the clinician managing their condition, if they should go on the new anticoagulants.
NHS England national specialty adviser for cardiovascular disease prevention Helen Williams said the agreement was good news for the estimated 1.5million people in England with atrial fibrillation, which is estimated to cause one in five strokes.
‘Not only is stroke one of the biggest killers in our country, but it leads to life-changing and often devastating long-term harm for many others,’ she said.
‘By ensuring these drugs are made available for all people with atrial fibrillation who are at risk of stroke, the NHS will not only prevent serious harm to the people affected, but avoid the need for aftercare which puts additional pressure on the health service.’