NICE forced to rethink osteoporosis treatment guidelines

Health watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has been forced to reconsider its controversial decision on treatments for osteoporosis.

Earlier this year, NICE came under pressure over its recommendation of alendronate (brand name Fosamax) as the only first-line treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

In particular, healthcare professionals were concerned as alendronate is unsuitable for one in four women and can cause serious side-effects.

Now, NICE's appeal committee has said that the organisation 'behaved unfairly' when making the recommendation.

The committee said it had been 'in breach of its procedures' after NICE changed the scope of the guidance midway through the appraisal process and excluded women who could not tolerate or were unable to take alendronate.

Professor Peter Littlejohns, NICE clinical and public health director, told website healthcarerepublic.com: "The appeal panel decided we did not go about this in the right way.

"The appraisal committee therefore will reconsider all of the drugs which were part of the appraisal to produce guidance on treatment options for patients in whom alendronate is contraindicated, poorly tolerated or ineffective."

An Arthritis Research Campaign spokesman welcomed NICE's decision, which followed an appeal by the National Osteoporosis Society.

"Many people who could not tolerate alendronate would have had no viable alternative if NICE had not reconsidered," he added.

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