Northern Ireland's health minister is under pressure to find the funds for new drugs for people with severe rheumatoid arthritis.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has approved the use of Enbrel and Remicade for NHS patients in England and Wales, for whom conventional treatments have failed.

But the decision does not cover Northern Ireland or Scotland.

The treatments will cost about �8,000 per patient per year and about 150 people in the province are waiting for the drugs.

Health Minister Bairbre de Brun said she would make a decision about whether to make the drug available to everyone who needs it in the province, after NICE announced its decision on 22 March.

Disease

Currently, about 100 people in Northern Ireland have been treated with the drug and a leading consultant has said the results are better than expected.

However, the charity, Arthritis Care, is worried that patients who need the drugs in the province will not get them because of the department of health's financial problems.

NICE, whose decisions cover England and Wales, estimates 420,000 people are affected by rheumatoid arthritis.

Up to 15,000 are affected by the severe form of the disease.

They experience extreme joint pain, stiffness and inflammation, and many have to give up work.

This is the group which would benefit from the drugs which have been approved by NICE.

Drugs

Etanercept is also recommended for children aged four to 17 who have juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in at least five joints and whose condition has not responded to other treatment.

Etanercept and infliximab (in combination with methotrexate) are recommended for adults with active RA who have not responded well to conventional treatment by at least two different disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.

Consultants would prescribe the drugs in accordance with guidance from rheumatology experts, and register dosages and any side effects to help monitor long-term effectiveness of the drugs.

Both drugs are Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha blockers (anti-TNFs).

They work by switching off TNF, which stimulates cells to produce the inflammation response that leads to pain and swelling of the joints.

The treatment is widely used in North America and Europe.