WHILE Kadcyla has been controversially rejected by the SMC, nine other drugs were approved as part of the latest round of decisions.
It is estimated that around 40,000 people will become eligible for the new drugs, which include:
Adcetris: A treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. A study has shown that in 75 per cent of patients who have relapsed or not responded to initial treatment and were treated with the drug, they experienced a partial or total remission.
Jardiance: The drug has been approved for people with type two diabetes in certain circumstances. It works by blocking a salt-sugar transporter in the kidney and removes excess blood sugar in the urine. It is taken as a tablet once daily.
Latuda: This drug can now be prescribed on a routine basis for patients with schizophrenia. The mental illness can cause patients to become delusional and see and hear things that are not there. The medicine works by blocking chemicals in the brain. It will only be prescribed to adults, where it is important to avoid weight gain and "metabolic adverse effects".
Mysodelle: The drug is given to women to help them begin labour, in cases in which it is unlikely to begin naturally. It causes contractions to begin.
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