Boehringer Ingelheim receives NICE recommendation for Actilyse

Boehringer Ingelheim has been granted a recommendation from the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for its acute ischaemic stroke therapy Actilyse.

The regulatory body has endorsed the initiation of treatment with Actilyse within 4.5 hours of onset of ischaemic stroke symptoms, following a review of its existing guidance.

A recent extension of the drug's marketing authorisation to allow the treatment to be used between three to 4.5 hours of symptoms emerging prompted this reconsideration, with NICE deciding that Actilyse can help to prevent disability, death or dependence when used in this way.

According to NICE, it is vitally important that treatment of strokes should commence as early as possible, meaning that providing greater access to thrombolytic therapy options such as this could offer various benefits.

It was also noted that it remains essential that sufferers are seen to by doctors as quickly as possible in order to prevent lasting damage.

Last week, the company received a recommendation from Europe's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use for a new indication of its diabetes drug Trajenta, which it has developed in collaboration with Lilly.