NICE releases draft guidance for MSD’s Ezetrol
NICE has published draft guidance recommending MSD’s Ezetrol as an option for certain adults with high cholesterol.
The guidance updates the previous document published in 2007, and recommends Ezetrol (ezetimibe) for adults with primary (heterozygous-familial and non-familial) hypercholesterolaemia, when a statin is considered inappropriate/not tolerated.
Hypercholesterolaemia is an inherited condition caused by a faulty gene, that causes high concentrations of cholesterol in the blood. The disease affects approximately around 120,000 people in the UK. People afflicted with this condition often have raised cholesterol levels from birth.
People with hypercholesterolaemia also have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to long term raised cholesterol levels accelerating the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries (atherosclerosis). The narrowing of the arteries can will then eventually lead to angina, heart attacks and strokes.
Professor Carole Longson, director of the centre for health technology evaluation at NICE, says: “Primary hypercholesterolaemia is an important risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease, the most common cause of death in the UK, as well as being a major cause of morbidity and reduced quality of life. This draft guidance is therefore good news some people with this condition who are aren’t able to take a statin to reduce their cholesterol.”