NICE to appraise hep C drugs Victrelis and telaprevir
pharmafile | May 26, 2011 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Brinavess, Ilaris, NICE, Victrelis, Xarelto, Zytiga, telaprevir
NICE’s next round of drug appraisals is set to include two new hepatitis C drugs – Merck Sharpe and Dohme’s Victrelis and Johnson & Johnson’s telaprevir.
Neither of the drugs is yet licensed in Europe but if they are they may meet a pressing unmet medical need for more effective hepatitis C treatments and NICE is already lining up to assess them.
Victrelis is set to be the first on the market, having just been recommended for European approval, while J&J’s telaprevir could be licensed in Europe by the end of the year.
If approved the drugs will be among six treatments Ministers have referred to NICE to appraise.
NICE said it will assess Victrelis for use in previously untreated genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C patients – the licensed indication it is seeking in Europe.
It will also look to appraise Victrelis for previously treated patients who have used the NICE approved treatments ribavirin and Roche’s Pegasys (peginterferon alfa).
Telaprevir, recently approved in the US as Incivek, would also be appraised for previously untreated genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C and previously treated with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin.
Other new NICE appraisals
Four other drugs have been added to NICE next work programme, they are:
• MSD’s Brinavess for the treatment of rapid conversion of recent onset atrial fibrillation
• Bayer’s Xarelto for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in people hospitalised for acute medical conditions
• J&J’s Zytiga in combination with the corticosteroid prednisolone. Currently filed with European regulators, if approved it would be assessed by NICE within its proposed indication for the treatment of metastatic, castrate-resistant prostate cancer following previous cytotoxic chemotherapy
• Novartis’ Ilaris for its licensed indication for the treatment of gouty arthritis attacks
All six drugs are set to be assessed for their cost and clinical effectiveness in the Institute’s next round of technology appraisals.
Ben Adams
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