GlaxoSmithKline’s Trobalt endorsed by NICE

GlaxoSmithKline has received a provisional recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for its drug Trobalt to be prescribed to epilepsy patients.

The regulator has published draft guidance endorsing the product as an add-on treatment for the prevention of seizures, if other medicines have proven to be ineffective or produced unmanageable side effects.

This recommendation comes quickly after the drug's approval by the European Medicines Agency in March 2011, with final guidance set to be published in July, provided that no appeals against the decision are received.

Professor Carole Longson, director of the Health Technology Evaluation Centre at NICE, said it is vital that a broad range of epilepsy treatments exist, as patients have different reactions to various drugs.

"We hope that our final guidance will lead to even more people having greater control of the condition," he said.

Earlier this year, the company's kidney cancer treatment Votrient was recommended for use among Scottish NHS patients following a positive ruling by the Scottish Medicines Consortium.