Sanofi and Amgen cholesterol therapies receive NICE recommendations

Sanofi and Amgen have had their cholesterol therapies Praluent and Repatha provisionally recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

New draft guidance from the UK regulator has recommended that Sanofi's Praluent and Amgen's Repatha be made available on the NHS for adults with primary hypercholesterolaemia or mixed dyslipidaemia to reduce their cardiovascular disease risk.

They are recommended for people with these conditions whose cholesterol levels are not controlled adequately using other drugs such as statins, or who are unable to tolerate statins due to side effects or the presence of another condition.

NICE's recommendations only apply if the drugs are provided at a discounted price agreed with the companies.

Professor Carole Longson, director of the NICE Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, said: "People with hypercholesterolaemia or mixed dyslipidaemia who have a high risk of a heart attack or stroke despite taking the highest tolerated dose of other cholesterol-lowering drugs have very few treatment options."

A final guidance decision will be made by NICE in the coming months.