Alcon receives NICE recommendation for Jetrea

Alcon has announced that its drug Jetrea has been granted a preliminary recommendation from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The appraisal consultation document endorses the use of Jetrea intravitreal injection for the treatment of vitreomacular traction in adults, including when associated with macular hole or when patients have severe symptoms and an epiretinal membrane is not present.

It is the first and only non-surgical treatment licensed in the UK to treat vitreomacular traction with macular hole, an age-related sight-threatening condition that can cause blind spots, visual distortion and reduced acuity.

Currently, there is no pharmacological treatment available for this condition, with patients having to undergo a period of observation before they become eligible for surgery.

Tim Jackson, consultant retinal surgeon at King's College Hospital, said: "For suitable patients it offers a simpler treatment that may avoid the need for eye surgery and means patients unsuited to surgery can now be treated, often before their condition deteriorates."

Jetrea was introduced in the UK in April 2013 following its approval by the European Commission the previous month.