Daiichi Sankyo’s Lixiana receives final NICE recommendation

Daiichi Sankyo has received a final recommendation from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The novel oral anticoagulant has been endorsed for NHS use by the regulator for preventing stroke and systemic embolism in patients suffering from the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation (AF).

After taking all available analyses into account, the edoxaban therapy was deemed to be cost effective compared with warfarin and could be recommended as an alternative to the older drug for patients with non-valvular AF who have one or more risk factors for stroke.

Warfarin has been widely used for over 50 years, but requires frequent monitoring to ensure the drug is working properly. It is also associated with many food and drug interactions, drawbacks that newer therapies like Lixiana can help to avoid.

Dr Simon Clough, UK managing director for Daiichi Sankyo, said: "We are very pleased to be able to offer patients and doctors in England and Wales a new convenient alternative in the treatment armoury against AF-related illness."

The company commenced two new studies last month that aim to provide evidence of the real-world efficacy of the drug.