New endometriosis pill that is approved in NHS in England

The first daily pill for the treatment of endometriosis symptoms was approved for use on the NHS in England and Wales – but only for patients who have tried all other options.

Endometriosis affects 1.5 million women in Great Britain, which leads to pain and extreme tiredness, since tissue, like the uterine mucosa, grow in the body elsewhere.

The new tablet, which is known as the relugolix combination therapy, was approved by the Drug Assessment Body the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and, in contrast to current injectable treatments, can be recorded at home.

The charity organization Endometriosis UK said the pill gives patients more choice, but will only help a relatively small number of people.

• Strong time pain that prevented you from performing normal activities
• Very heavy period
• Pain if you pink poo or pink
• Other symptoms can include pain in your lower belly, pain after sex, fatigue, shortness of breath, low mood, anxiety, anxiety
• Difficulty getting pregnant

The new combination therapy pill costs £ 72 for a 28-day offer, said Nice.

It blocks certain hormones that contribute to this state and at the same time offer replacement hormones that are needed.

It will only be available at the NHS for people who have already tried all other medical and surgical treatments and have found that they did not help, Nice said – corresponds to 1,000 women per year.

This includes treatments such as hormonal contraceptives and intrauterine -down systems.

Helen Knight, director of medication assessment at Nice, said that it was “a potential step change for the treatment of endometriosis, which puts control back into the hands of the patient and at the same time guarantees the value for taxpayers”.

She said the treatment could be stopped more easily than other treatments, which is important for those who are planning children and is important for the treatment of side effects.

This could also reduce the pressure on the NHS services, she added.

Nice initially rejected the medication, but the manufacturer provided new knowledge about its effectiveness and the price -performance ratio.

The 27 -year -old Ami Clarke from St. Albans began to see endometriosis symptoms after her first period at the age of 13.

She was only diagnosed 10 years later – until then she had tried six different contraceptive pills to find a way, help her pain, but didn’t seem to work.

“I came out of the pill and then my periods became absolutely and completely unmanageable. They took over my life. I didn’t go to the university, I didn’t go to work,” says Ami.

“If I wanted to work, I consistently collapse in pain every month.”

Ami kept returning to her family doctor because the pain was “completely unbearable”.

“I was just so desperate, my mental health was on that

Ami had her first operation in October 2021, which reduced the pain for seven or eight months, but then it gradually came back. A second operation in April 2024 was not so successful. Now she is trying to collect enough money to get a third operation privately.

Ami says it can be heard that further treatment for endometriosis is being developed, since “it often feels as if they are left in the dark”.

Usually, the first treatments for endometriosis after painkillers are hormone injections that temporarily switch on estrogen production by the body. This is the hormone that causes the growth of endometriose tissue and pain.

However, patients often have to travel to hospitals to have the injections that take up to three months.

With the new all-in-one tablet, patients do not have to remind hormone replacement therapy as a separate tablet.

It can be stopped quickly if the side effects are difficult and are recorded until the menopause.

“It is one step forward and will give the patient more choice, but it will affect a relatively small number of people,” says Emma Cox, Managing Director of Endometriosis UK.

“We have to see more investments in other research and treatments,” she added.