ePolitix.com asked stakeholders to comment on the public reaction to the High Court ruling upholding the decision of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), restricting early access to drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

Stakeholder response: Help the Aged

To send a comment to Help the Aged click here

This High Court ruling represents some progress. Only earlier this week, the care minister was talking about 'bringing dementia out of the shadows':  one of the shadows into which it had been cast was the Nice guidance on various drug treatments. 

It is important that Nice examines its guidance on these drugs, not just in the light of the ruling today, but bearing in mind the public concern which the case has demonstrated. 

Dementia is a growing issue in our ageing population, with predictions that the number of people suffering from the disease will double over the next 20 years. 

While securing the safety of new medicines is critical, what's equally important is ensuring that older people who face a life blighted by dementia can access the best drugs available as quickly as possible.

The minister's national dementia strategy group will need to work hard and urgently on this issue of drug treatment.

Stakeholder response: Age Concern

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It is extremely disappointing that the High Court has failed to overturn Nice's decision, meaning that people with dementia will have to get much worse before they receive help.

The government's plans for a national dementia strategy indicate that dealing with this condition is finally becoming a higher priority - but action is urgently needed to ensure that people with dementia and their families receive the treatment and support they need.

Denying these drugs to people in the early stages of dementia indirectly discriminates against older people, who are most likely to be affected. The drugs can cost as little as £2.50 a day per person and could make day-to-day life far more manageable for thousands of people.