This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
NICE approve cluster headache device
A handheld device that delivers a small electric current has been recommended by NICE for the prevention and treatment of cluster headaches.
The recommendation is made in NICE’s draft medtech guidance, published for public consultation, which highlights that using gammaCore in addition to standard care could save the NHS £450 per patient in the first year compared to standard care alone.
As gammaCore is not effective in all patients with cluster headache, the guidance says that it should only be used following a three-month trial period where it has been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms. Clinical experts suggest that around 25 per cent of people in the UK with cluster headache – around 25,000 – are likely to respond to treatment with gammaCore.
Meindert Boysen, director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at NICE, said: “Cluster headaches are excruciatingly painful and debilitating and can have a huge effect on a person's life including affecting their ability to work or do normal activities.
“Many people with the condition don’t get enough pain relief with current treatment options, which are often used off-label and limited by side effects and contraindications. The committee heard that on average 5 people a year in the UK end their lives because they are no longer able to live with the pain of cluster headaches.i
“We’re pleased, therefore, to be able to recommend this innovative, simple to use treatment which has been shown to provide benefits for around a quarter of people who use it. And by decreasing the need for treatments to stop the symptoms of an acute attack of cluster headache, using gammaCore could be cost-saving for the NHS.”
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