Pfizer reveals UK prices for Macugen, despite cost rejection reports

The prices for the UK release of Macugen, Pfizer’s drug to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), have been announced.

AMD affects the macular, a part of the eye in the centre of the retina which allows things to be seen in very fine detail, such as for reading. With age it can degenerate and it is the most common cause of poor sight in people aged over 60, although it does not normally cause complete sight loss, says the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB). It comes in two forms – wet and dry AMD. Macugen is intended to treat the wet form.

According to Reuters, a UK Pfizer spokeswoman told APM that each injection of the drug, to be given every six weeks, would cost 514 pounds. However, yesterday the Times reported that thousands of patients could lose out on treatment for AMD on the grounds of the cost of the drug to the NHS.

One consultant, Keith Gregory-Evans of the Western Eye Hospital of London, told the newspaper that the drug “really is a major step forward in fighting AMD”. He added that to have an effective drug for the disease was “marvellous”.

However, Steve Winyard, head of research for the RNIB, said: “We already have evidence that this drug is not getting to patients because primary care trusts are hiding behind NICE [National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence], saying that they can’t approve a treatment until NICE makes a ruling on its effectiveness.”

He added that many people are going to lose their sight and that the RNIB is urging health trusts not to refuse patients Macugen treatment.

Macugen is a humanised monoclonal antibody drug – the type of drug being researched by several major pharmaceutical companies because of the ability of monoclonal antibodies to be tailored for particular diseases.

During clinical trials, Macugen was found to slow vision loss in patients with wet-type AMD in comparison to those taking the placebo, according to Pfizer.

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