The BMJ Technology Assessment Group (BMJ-TAG) conducts health research to help decide whether new drugs should be made available in the NHS. This year’s work has included several “me too” drugs, that is, drugs that might be considered to have the same efficacy and safety as other available options in the NHS but at a lower cost. The importance of these drugs lies in the savings achieved for the taxpayer and importantly, much needed cost savings for the NHS. Our team independently assessed two new treatments for diabetic macular oedema (dexamethasone and brolucizumab), a condition that can result in blindness, with both treatments. Providing expert methodological advice to the UK’s National Health Service
BMJ-TAG is also called on to conduct its own research, when several new treatments need to be compared with current practice. This year, BMJ-TAG looked at three treatments for severe atopic dermatitis for use in adolescents and adults. As a result of our work, all three treatments were approved. Patient groups commenting on the appraisal highlighted the debilitating nature of severe atopic dermatitis, which goes beyond uncontrollable and persistent itching, to detrimental effects on a person’s mental health and self-confidence.
BMJ-TAG contributed to 12 policy docs in 2022, which touched an estimated 235K lives of patients 29 .
The Eczema Outreach Support group highlighted that these new treatment options offer hope to patients who have exhausted all available treatments and have the potential to improve a patient’s quality of life.
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