Actelion’s Opsumit to be available through NHS Scotland

Actelion has announced that its drug Opsumit will be made available to NHS Scotland patients for the long-term treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium has issued advice stating that Opsumit be made accessible to patients across the country, based on its strong performance in clinical trials.

It is a novel endothelin receptor antagonist that has demonstrated prolonged improvements in terms of morbidity and mortality both as a monotherapy and as part of a combination treatment. The drug was approved by the European Commission earlier this year.

Scotland now becomes one of the first countries in Europe to make Opsumit available for doctors to prescribe.

Robin Bhattacherjee, general manager for Actelion Pharmaceuticals UK, said: "This milestone further demonstrates Actelion's ongoing commitment to the discovery, development and commercialisation of innovative treatments that offer real benefits for patients."

Opsumit was approved in the US in October 2013 and in Canada last month. The company is seeking further approvals for the drug in various other countries, including Switzerland.