Following a full submission, the Scottish Medicines Consortium does not recommend azacitidine (Vidaza®) for use within NHS Scotland for the treatment of adults who are not eligible for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) with intermediate-2 and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) or acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

The drug advice notes that although azacitidine produced a significant increase in overall survival compared with conventional care regimens in previously untreated higher-risk MDS patients, the manufacturer did not present a sufficiently robust economic analysis and their justification for the treatment’s cost in relation to its health benefits was not sufficient to gain acceptance.  Please see the drug advice (link below) for further details.