Allergan’s Ozurdex receives NICE recommendation

Allergan has welcomed the decision of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to recommend its drug Ozurdex as a therapy for diabetic macular oedema (DMO).

NICE's new technology appraisal guidance has backed the product as a treatment for people with visual impairment due to DMO who have an artificial lens and are considered insufficiently responsive to, or unsuitable for, non-corticosteroid therapy.

In DMO registration studies conducted among more than 1,000 patients, treatment benefit was observed with Ozurdex with a mean average of four to five injections over three years.

DMO is a condition that affects approximately seven percent of people with diabetes and is the leading cause of sight loss among this group.

Sara Vincent, senior vice-president and Allergan UK's country manager, said: "This guidance from NICE confirms the value of Ozurdex as a treatment for DMO and supports its use as a clinically relevant and cost-effective option for patients with this condition."

The company enhanced its position in the eye care market earlier this month through the acquisition of Oculeve, a development-stage medical device company focused on the creation of novel treatments for dry eye disease.