Thousands of British elderly ‘denied best thinning bones treatment’

Thousands of women with thinning bones are being denied the best available therapies because of “unethical and shortsighted” NHS rationing, senior osteoporosis specialists say today. Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) are unfairly restricting access to osteoporosis drugs that can prevent pain, disability and even death, leading doctors and charity executives say.

In a letter to The Times, a group of 36 experts has called on NICE to revise restrictive draft guidance, which is the subject of an appeal that begins today. They urge NICE to widen access to alendronate, the cheapest generic osteoporosis drug, which costs only £50 a year, and to ease strict eligibility criteria for slightly more expensive options. NICE approves alendronate only for patients older than 75. It is also unsuitable for a quarter of patients.

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