News summary

The North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Medicines Committee are seeking NENC system-wide views on adoption of two draft guidelines:

• Northern England Evaluation and Lipid Intensification guideline
• NENC Penicillin Allergy Assessment Primary Care guideline

Comments are welcomed from across the system, including residents and patients of the NENC.

Comments will be returned to the medicines committee, or its sub-committee, and used to inform implementation of the decisions in NENC.

The consultations are open until 5pm on Wednesday 2^nd August 2023 and can be accessed at https://ntag.nhs.uk/consultations/.  

The decisions made at the NENC Medicines Subcommittee June 2023 meeting can now be found at: https://ntag.nhs.uk/meetings/decision-summaries/

This includes the recommendations made by NTAG in May 2023 meeting and NICE Technology appraisals from the 1st February 2023 to 31st March 2023.

The following guidelines/position statements were approved and can be found at:

• NENC Decision Aid for DOACs for Atrial Fibrillation – review date extended for further 12 months. https://ntag.nhs.uk/recommendations/cardiovascular-system-recommendations/
• NENC regional guidance on type 2 diabetes https://ntag.nhs.uk/recommendations/endocrine-system-recommendations/
• NENC Dronedarone shared care guideline https://ntag.nhs.uk/recommendations/cardiovascular-system-recommendations/
• NENC Sativex® shared care guideline for the treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis https://ntag.nhs.uk/recommendations/central-nervous-system-recommendations/
• NENC Commmissioning policy for Baricitinib for patients hospitalised due to COVID-19 (adults and children aged 2 years and over) https://ntag.nhs.uk/recommendations/miscellaneous-recommendations/
• NENC Penicillin Allergy Assessment Oral Challenge and De-labelling Secondary Care https://ntag.nhs.uk/recommendations/miscellaneous-recommendations/

The North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Medicines Committee are seeking NENC system-wide views on implementation of NICE TA905: Upadacitinib for previously treated moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease, as outlined in the consultation document.

Comments are welcomed from across the system, including residents and patients of the NENC. Comments will be returned to the medicines committee, or its sub-committee, and used to inform implementation of the decisions in NENC.

This consultation will run for four weeks and closes at 5pm on Thursday 20th July 2023. Take part by visiting the consultations page.

The North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Medicines Committee are seeking NENC system-wide views on adoption of the proposed formulary amendments in a new consultation.

Comments are welcomed from across the system, including residents and patients of the NENC. Comments will be returned to the medicines committee, or its sub-committee, and used to inform implementation of the decisions in NENC.

This consultation will run for four weeks and closes at 5pm on Wednesday 5th July 2023. Take part by visiting the consultations page.

The draft menopause guidance under consultation has been updated with the following changes:

•             Reinstating Tibolone on the list of CCHRT (this had dropped off unintentionally)

•             Reinstating the time to effect for testosterone (this had also been removed unintentionally)

•             Standardised use of levonorgestrel-IUD instead of IUS throughout the document (as per FSRH guidance)

•             Further advice about long cycle HRT (Tridestra)

•             Text colour change (from red to black)

Comments already received will be retained, and stakeholders are invited to make additional submissions if the update changes their comments.

The updated draft is available by visiting the consultations page.

Historically across the NENC ICB area there are three formularies in place that were operated by the three Area Prescribing Committees (APCs) of County Durham & Tees Valley; North of Tyne, Gateshead & North Cumbria; and South Tyneside & Sunderland.

As part of the move to a single ICB wide formulary a working group was formed with the agreement of the NENC Medicines Committee to explore merging the three existing formularies into one NENC formulary.

A consultation has now been opened on the resulting RAG definitions, and proposed RAG statuses. To take part, visit the consultations page.

The ongoing consultation on draft menopause guidance has been updated to reflect new evidence on HRT after surgery for endometriosis. The updated draft is available by visiting the consultations page.

The decisions made at the NENC Medicines Subcommittee April 2023 meeting can now be found at: https://ntag.nhs.uk/meetings/decision-summaries/

This includes the recommendations made by NTAG in March 2023 meeting and NICE Technology appraisals from the 1st January 2023 to 31st January 2023.

The following guidelines/position statements were approved and can be found at:
• NENC regional guidance On SGLT2 inhibitors – supersedes previous versions for CKD, heart failure and type 2 diabetes
https://ntag.nhs.uk/recommendations/endocrine-system-recommendations/

• NENC ICB position statement – nonpalliative care use of opiates
https://ntag.nhs.uk/recommendations/central-nervous-system-recommendations/

Drugs with a NICE recommendation published in February and March 2023 have been considered by NTAG in its May meeting, and will be considered for approval by Medicines Subcommittee at its June 2023 meeting.

All approved NENC Medicines Subcommittee and NTAG meeting minutes can be found at: https://ntag.nhs.uk/meetings/ntag-meetings/ and https://ntag.nhs.uk/meetings/nenc-medicines-committee-meetings/

The North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Medicines Committee are seeking NENC system-wide views on implementation of NICE TA888: Risankizumab for previously treated moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease, as outlined in the consultation document.

Comments are welcomed from across the system, including residents and patients of the NENC. Comments will be returned to the medicines committee, or its sub-committee, and used to inform implementation of the decisions in NENC.

This consultation will run for four weeks and closes at 5pm on Wednesday 14th June 2023. Take part by visiting the consultations page.

The North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Medicines Committee are seeking NENC system-wide views on adoption of the formulary actions proposed at the May meeting of NTAG; see the attached consultation document.

Comments are welcomed from across the system, including residents and patients of the NENC. Comments will be returned to the medicines committee, or its sub-committee, and used to inform implementation of the decisions in NENC.

This consultation will run for four weeks and closes at 5pm on Tuesday 13th June 2023. Take part by visiting the consultations page.