29 May 2025
Welsh Government has approved advice from the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) for three medicines.
- Ziconotide (Prialt) was recommended for treating severe, long-term pain in adults who need to have painkillers given by an injection into the space that surrounds the spinal cord and brain (called intrathecal injection).
- Guanfacine (Intuniv) prolonged-release (PR) was recommended for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and young people aged 6 years to 17 years, when stimulants are not suitable or have not worked. Guanfacine must be used as a part of a comprehensive ADHD treatment programme, which would usually include psychological, educational and social measures.
- Abiraterone was recommended to treat newly diagnosed high‑risk metastatic hormone‑sensitive prostate cancer when given with prednisone or prednisolone and combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).
Guanfacine and abiraterone were the first two medicines assessed under AWMSG’s updated medicines assessment process.
AWTTC’s Patient Access to Medicines Service (PAMS) supports the AWMSG to assess and monitor new medicines in Wales.