The new NHS drug that can treat ‘devastating’ sight loss disease

• A new treatment called idebenone, sold as Raxone, is now available on the NHS in England for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a debilitating genetic eye disease.
• LHON is a rare inherited condition that primarily affects the optic nerve, leading to rapid and often severe vision loss and blindness.
• The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved idebenone, which evidence suggests can improve eyesight and quality of life by restoring energy production in affected eye cells.
• Approximately 250 patients over the age of 12 are expected to be eligible for the treatment, which has shown effectiveness in about half of those treated.
• This approval marks the first time NICE has sanctioned a treatment for any mitochondrial condition, offering significant hope to the estimated 2,000 people in England affected by LHON.

IN FULL

Drug for rare disease that causes sudden vision loss available on NHS in England