Servier satisfied osteoporosis guidelines must be reassessed

Servier has announced it is pleased with a ruling that will see the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) reassess its guidelines of osteoporosis treatment.

At judicial review, the pharmaceutical company challenged the body as it believed certain rules unfairly and unnecessarily restricted access to the drug Protelos (strontium ranelate) for some patients.

The treatment is intended for the primary and secondary prevention of osteoporotic fragility fractures in postmenopausal women, reducing the risk of breaking the spine and hip in particular.

The high court declared that NICE had acted unlawfully by failing to release the economic model it had based its reasoning behind the guidelines.

Under its legal duty of transparency, it must now re-evaluate its recommendations on the issue.

Michael Sumpter, chief executive office of Servier, commented: “The ruling will ? ensure that the osteoporosis guidance is updated to enable all patients to have access to the most appropriate treatments – including Protelos.”

The non-hormonal medicine reduces the risk of fractures by encouraging bone re-growth and reducing breakdown.