Novartis receives final NICE recommendation for Tobi Podhaler

Novartis has received a recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for Tobi Podhaler, a new treatment for cystic fibrosis.

The UK regulator has issued a final appraisal determination recommending the dry powder inhaler therapy as a cost-effective option for adult patients and children aged six years and older.

It was determined that the tobramycin dry powder-based treatment can offer practical advantages over existing nebulised alternatives, when combined with the Department of Health's approved patient access scheme.

Full technology appraisal guidance will be published in March 2013 and will make this innovative therapy more accessible to NHS patients.

Dr Diana Bilton, consultant respiratory physician at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, said: "Our experience is that patients really benefit from this antibiotic inhaler in terms of a reduction in treatment burden and being able to get on with life instead of spending time on a nebuliser."

This comes after the company received European regulatory approval for the meningococcal serogroup B vaccine Bexsero last week.