NRAS welcomes final NICE guidance on RoActemra® (Tocilizumab) for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA)

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today issued final guidance for RoActemra® (Tocilizumab) for treating systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) in children and young people aged 2 years and older, whose disease has responded inadequately to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), systemic corticosteroids and methotrexate.

 JIA has no known cause, and there are seven different forms of the condition. Systemic JIA (sJIA) may start with symptoms such as a fever or rash, with joints eventually becoming swollen and inflamed. It can affect children of any age causing severe pain and difficulties in their everyday life. Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is usually considered to be a rare disease - a form of inflammatory arthritis -that begins in childhood. JIA causes inflammation, pain and swelling in one or more joints. Between 10,000 – 15,000 children under the age of 16 in the UK have JIA – that is one in 1,000. The incidence of new cases in the UK each year is around 1 in 10,000, with the peak onset being at 6 years of age. Although arthritis is commonly associated with older people, JIA is one of the most common causes of physical disability that begins during childhood. Even after diagnosis, many JIA patients and families feel isolated and alone.

 We welcome this final guidance and the availability of this treatment on the NHS in England and Wales for children suffering with this condition. Ailsa Bosworth, CEO of NRAS said “this is indeed great news for children and families affected by SJIA who now have a new and effective treatment option providing hope and better quality of life for the future.”

RoActemra® (Tocilizumab) is currently used for the treatment of adult rheumatoid arthritis and the positive tocilizumab NICE guidance for rheumatoid arthritis is not affected by the NICE recommendation.

• The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) was launched in October 2001 and in a relatively short time has become established as the campaigning voice in the UK for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
• NRAS provides a total one-stop-shop with support, information and advocacy for all people in the UK with RA, their carers and families.
• NRAS has a national volunteer network, a group of people with the disease who provide peer to peer support and provide additional resource to help NRAS in many different ways.

For more information contact:

Ailsa Bosworth

National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society

ailsa@nras.org.uk  Phone: 01628 823524  Website: www.nras.org.uk