NICE to delay mesh guidelines despite campaigners' efforts for urgency

^{The National Institute of Care and Excellence (NICE) is delaying its guidelines on surgical mesh despite calls to make it a matter of urgency.}

In an email sent to campaign group Sling the Mesh, NICE states that it is delaying the expected publication date of its guideline on urinary incontinence in women, including pelvic organ prolapse in women by two months.

The review was expected to be published on 8 February 2019 but is now being pushed back to 2 April. NICE states that the change in publication date is so it can take into account data on long-term adverse effects.

The news comes after the president of the Royal College of Surgeons, professor Derek Alderson, told The Guardian that a failure to carry out clinical trials or collect long-term postoperative data is one of the causes that has contributed to the vaginal mesh scandal.

A parliamentary hearing led by Labour MP Emma Smith earlier this year examined how women have not been properly informed about the potential benefits and dangers of mesh devices and how clinical evidence on the efficacy of mesh devices has been lacking. 

In the email to Sling the Mesh, NICE states that the consultation on draft guidance for mesh will now run from 5 October to 15 November 2018.

Commenting on the news, chair of the APPG on Surgical Mesh Implants Owen Smith MP said: "I'm deeply disappointed to learn that NICE have delayed the publishing of their guidelines on mesh despite repeated calls from the APPG to update them as a matter of urgency.

"As we've seen from the recent NHS audit into mesh, the government's own statistics vastly underestimate the problems caused by mesh. It is imperative that NICE brings forward their guidelines on mesh and suspends its use until we have a proper understanding of the risks of mesh."

Kath Sansom, founder of Sling the Mesh, said: "It is absolutely ludicrous that NICE has pushed back its guidelines by two months. It is crucial they get these guidelines published as soon as possible with the most up to date research and studies which blow the ridiculously low risk figures of 1 to 3% out of the water. Even the NHS' own data proves the risk is much higher. NICE need to stop stalling and get on."