A NEW daily pill to treat ‘debilitating and life-limiting’ endometriosis will be rolled on the NHS after getting the green light.
The condition – which causes intense pain, extreme tiredness and heavy – plagues an estimated 1.5 million women in the UK.
Women who’ve tried other medical or surgical treatments for without success will be eligible to take the once-a-day pill, called linzagolix.
It works by blocking specific hormones that contribute to the symptoms of endometriosis.
In clinical trials, the pill was shown to reduce and pelvic pain.
It was approved by the National Institute for and Care Excellence (NICE) on May 1, giving it the green light for NHS use.
The treatment will become available to patients in England in the next few months, with the health service estimating that more than 1,000 women a year could use the pill to manage their agonising symptoms.
Linzagolix tablets will be given alongside ‘add-back’ hormone therapy, which involves using low-dose (HRT) to prevent menopause-like symptoms and bone loss.
It’s already been approved for treating .
Women’s health minister Baroness Merron said: “This could be a game-changer for thousands of women battling endometriosis, which can be a debilitating and life-limiting condition.”;
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the womb lining grows elsewhere in the body, such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes and lining of the pelvis.
It also sometimes affects organs, such as the bladder and bowel.
Symptoms happen when patches of endometriosis break down and bleed during your period, but cannot leave the body.
Dr Sue Mann, national clinical director in Women’s Health for NHS England, said: “This is welcome news for women with endometriosis who haven’t found relief from previous therapies or surgery.
“It’s another treatment option which will help women take control of their health and better manage the symptoms of this often painful and debilitating condition.”;
The rollout of linzagolix will give women “more choice in treatment they can take in the comfort of their own “, she added.
Baroness Merron, meanwhile, said it marks a “turning tide”; for “after years of neglect”;.
Tina Backhouse, UK general manager of Theramex, which makes the drug, said there are “significant gaps and delays for women in diagnosis and treatment of their endometriosis”;.
She added: “This decision by NICE can only be one step in a much longer journey towards equitable treatment for women in the NHS, ensuring that all women, regardless of race or background, receive timely and effective care.”;
Linzagolix is the second take-at-home treatment to be approved for endometriosis in recent months.
– the first long-term pill licensed to treat the condition – was greenlit for NHS use in March.
As with linzagolix, only patients who have tried all other treatment options can be given the pill.
Again, it was estimated that the combination drug could help around 1,000 women every year in.
It can take up to nine years after symptoms first appear for endometriosis sufferers to be diagnosed with the agonising condition.
There is also no known cure for the condition, but treatment can ease symptoms.
Painkillers and hormonal treatments such as the combined contraceptive pill can help, and some people may be offered surgery to remove areas of endometriosis.
