A fast acting ketamine-like anti-depressant spray that can lift mood within hours has been rejected by the NHS healthcare watchdog.
The National Institute for Health and Care and Excellence (NICE) says there are too many uncertainties about the correlation between the price and clinical benefits of esketamine.
It is licensed as a therapy for people with hard-to-treat depression.
But it costs about £10,000 per patient for a single course of treatment.
Mixed reactions
Some people already prescribed it – as part of a trial, for example – will be able to continue on the treatment if their doctor says it is appropriate to do so, the NICE’s draft recommendation for England and Wales says. Scotland is yet to issue guidance.
Experts have expressed mixed reactions to NICE’s decision.
Dr Sameer Jauhar, at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, said NICE had made the call because there was not yet enough long-term evidence to support the use of nasal esketamine alongside another anti-depressant.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Paul Keedwell, at Cardiff University, said patients would be disappointed by a decision based largely on cost rather than lack of effectiveness.
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