Price cuts deem more MS drugs cost effective for the NHS

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is backing Teva’s Copaxone (glatiramer acetate), Biogen Idec’s Avonex (interferon beta-1a) and Merck Serono’s Rebif (interferon beta 1a) as treatment options for relapsing remitting forms of multiple sclerosis (RRMS), in addition to Novartis’ Extavia (interferon beta-1b), after price cuts enabled the cost regulator to consider them value for money and endorse their routine use on the NHS.

With around 40,000 people in the UK having relapsing-remitting MS, director of the centre for health and technology evaluation at NICE, Meindert Boysen commented, “Multiple sclerosis is lifelong condition that can have a negative impact on people’s ability to work, and to engage in social and family life. Having treatments that can delay the progression of the disease is important to help patients get back to their normal lives. We are grateful that the companies have been able to agree reductions to the NHS prices of these drugs so they can be made routinely available and ensure that people have access to a choice of cost effective treatments.”