ACCESS TO TREATMENT FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS

That this House calls for all patients with rheumatoid arthritis to have the choice of accessing the latest anti-tnf treatments for their condition; welcomes the decision of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to reconsider its draft guidance on adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis on whether patients can try the other two drugs if the first does not work; notes however that this guidance has been under review since June 2004 and recommends that there should be no further delay for patients; and calls on the Secretary of State for Health to review NICE's remit so the Institute can take into account the substantial cost savings to the economy that these treatments bring in terms of supporting people with rheumatoid arthritis in the workplace and keeping them off incapacity benefit.