Bristol-Myers Squibb hails Scottish Baraclude approval

Bristol-Myers Squibb’s UK arm has hailed the Scottish Medicines Consortium’s (SMC) ruling that allows the use of Baraclude for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in the NHS Scotland.

The Scottish regulatory approved the drug for hepatitis B patients with compensated liver disease and evidence of advanced viral replication, citing clinical studies showing that Baraclude is more effective than lamivudine, marketed by GlaxoSmithKline as Epivir.

The SMC also addressed the cost effectiveness of Baraclude treatment, concluding that this was aided by the fact that some patients develop a form of hepatitis B resistant to Epivir treatment.

David Veitch, general manager of Bristol-Myers Squibb UK, remarked: “The recent launch of Baraclude supports our company’s strategy for growth – to deliver new medicines in disease areas where there is a significant unmet medical need.”

He concluded by saying that the SMC’s decision represents “great news” for patients with hepatitis B, which constitute approximately 0.3 per cent of the UK population, according to Department of Health statistics.

Baraclude was launched in the UK last month, following approval from the European Medicines Evaluation Agency at the end of June.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has extensive UK manufacturing and research facilities in Deeside and Moreton, an 11.2 acre site on the Wirral peninsula.