Scottish diabetics with a condition that causes blurred or double vision will be cheered by the news that Alimera Sciences' Iluvien has been backed by the country's cost watchdog.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium has accepted Iluvien (fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant) as a treatment for chronic diabetic macular oedema (DME) for restricted use within the National Health Service in the country. Use will be restricted to patients in whom the affected eye is pseudophakic (has an artificial lens after cataract surgery).

William Wykes, consultant ophthalmologist at NHS Southern General Hospital, said the SMC acceptance of Iluvien "is wonderful news for DME patients in Scotland", adding that "vision is so important to a person's overall quality of life". The SMC advice follows positive NICE final guidance issued in November 2013.

However the SMC has not recommended Mitsubishi Pharma's BindRen (colestilan) for the treatment of hyperphosphataemia in adults with chronic kidney disease.

The Consortium says that there were "a number of uncertainties about the clinical evidence used in the economic analysis" of the phosphate binder which meant it could not be considered to offer value for money.