The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has responded angrily to a leak of its recommendation that beta interferon should not be prescribed on the NHS. It will now be reviewing its appraisal process with stakeholders. The Multiple Sclerosis Society challenged NICE to allow a group of patients to address it. David Barnett, chair of NICE's appraisal committee, refused on the grounds that their experiences would be too personal to be useful and said 50 per cent of committee members were 'practising clinicians' who understood patient concerns.