Takeda receives provisional NICE backing for ulcerative colitis drug

Takeda has announced that its ulcerative colitis drug Entyvio has received a provisional recommendation from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

An appraisal consultation document has been issued by NICE providing positive draft guidance on the use of Entyvio as an option for adults with moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis who have not had or could not tolerate a TNF-alpha inhibitor.

This is the first time that a biologic therapy for this condition has received a positive provisional recommendation from NICE for maintenance therapy, a decision that has been welcomed by charity groups such as Crohn's and Colitis UK.

Clinical trials of the drug demonstrated that more than 40 percent of people who showed an initial response at six weeks were in remission at the end of year one, while more than half of the patients in the trial showed healing of the gut lining after a year.

Hiro Fukutomi, managing director for Takeda in the UK, said: "We are delighted with today's landmark provisional decision, as it means many patients could have access to an effective new treatment for this lifelong condition."

Earlier this month, the company's UK division made a donation of 10,000 pounds to the England Amputee Football Association, in order to help the national team compete in the upcoming World Cup in Mexico.