The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has issued its monthly advice on newly licensed medicines.
5-aminolevulinic acid (Alacare®) has been accepted for single use treatment of mild actinic keratoses lesions with a maximum diameter of 1.8 cm on the face and scalp (hairless areas). It is noted that another licensed formulation of 5-aminolevulinic acid is available and there may be an associated small net budget impact with the use of this product.
Vigabatrin (Kigabeq®) has been accepted for restricted use in infants and children from 1 month to less than 7 years of age for:
- treatment in monotherapy of infantile spasms (West's syndrome)
- treatment in combination with other antiepileptic medicinal products for patients with resistant partial epilepsy (focal onset seizures) with or without secondary generalisation, that is where all other appropriate medicinal product combinations have proved inadequate or have not been tolerated
The restriction limits use to patients in whom other formulations of vigabatrin are not suitable.
Action: Clinicians should be aware of the recommendations of the SMC. Routine use of rejected and restricted medicines should be avoided.