A national £1.5 million ($1.9 million) technology investment in the U.K. is aiming to expand access to red blood cell exchange devices for people with sickle cell disease (SCD) living in North East England.
The focus will be on improving treatment availability for underserved patients in urban, rural, and coastal areas, according to a National Health Service (NHS) press release announcing the funding.
The investment by NHS England Specialised Commissioning covers 25 devices — all from Spectra Optia Apheresis System — for 22 NHS trusts. These include the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which will receive funding for one machine, and the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, getting monies for two machines. The devices are expected to be installed in the hospitals by the end of next month.
“This funding will play a pivotal role in ensuring sickle cell patients receive more regular care closer to where they live, as well as help reduce health inequalities,” said Harriet Smith, national program lead for Spectra Optia at Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber. “I’m very proud of the role the MedTech Funding Mandate has played in the roll-out of this technology to ensure we meet the automated red blood cell exchange needs of sickle cell patients.”
Expansion of automated red blood cell exchange services, in which the selected trusts had expressed interest, is expected to help counter inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes among those with the blood disorder, according to NHS England.
Underserved patients now at increased risk of hospitalization, death
In the U.K., those from West African and Afro-Caribbean communities are disproportionately affected by sickle cell disease. Such patients, who often live in socio-economically deprived areas, are at an increased risk of recurring hospitalizations and in-hospital mortality.
With this investment, NHS England is aiming to provide better treatment access, most specifically for underserved patients.
“NHS England is committed to improving the support provided to people with sickle cell disease,” said John Stewart, national director for specialized commissioning at NHS England.
“This investment to increase the number of devices for automated red blood cell exchange across the country will support the expansion of services and improve access for patients who need regular transfusions,” Stewart said.
SCD is caused by genetic mutations that lead to the production of a defective version of a protein called hemoglobin, which carries oxygen inside red blood cells. As a result, cells assume a rigid sickle-like shape and are often unable to move normally through blood vessels, thereby halting blood circulation and causing painful vaso-occlusive crises.
To potentially prevent complications, such as stroke and organ damage, red blood cell transfusions often are necessary. Such transfusions typically require storage of high numbers of red blood cell packs for patient and donor blood matching. The matching process can be particularly challenging considering that historically, members of racial and ethnic minority groups generally donate blood less frequently than other populations.
This option has existed for years but has been inaccessible to some patients — especially in underserved communities — due to barriers, including limited awareness. Now, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the NHS, the Health Innovation Network and the voice of patients, this sickle cell therapy with Spectra Optia will be an option for more people who may benefit.
The Spectra Optia device — the first fully automatic red blood cell removal system — extracts abnormal sickled red blood cells from people with sickle cell and supplants them with donated healthy red blood cells. Compared with regular transfusion methods, this therapeutic tool uses fewer red blood cell units.
This means that ultimately, automating red blood cell exchanges can help lower the need for top-up transfusions, manage pain, and reduce the risk of pain crises in SCD patients. The treatment may be administered to eligible patients every six to eight weeks.
“This investment helps more patients get treatment with a proven therapy to manage sickle cell disease,” said Antoinette Gawin, president and CEO of Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, the U.S.-based company that produces the exchange device.
“This option has existed for years but has been inaccessible to some patients — especially in underserved communities — due to barriers, including limited awareness. Now, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the NHS, the Health Innovation Network and the voice of patients, this sickle cell therapy with Spectra Optia will be an option for more people who may benefit,” Gawin said.
The device is supported through NHS England’s MedTech Funding Mandate, which aims to accelerate the adoption of selected cost-saving healthcare technologies recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Improving access to the therapy could save NHS England up to £12.9 million (about $16 million) annually, while diminishing health inequalities.
