NICE recommends AstraZeneca lung treatment

pharmafile | July 3, 2017 | News story | Sales and Marketing |  AstraZeneca, Daxas, NICE 

AstraZeneca’s Daxas (roflumilast) has received recommendation from NICE for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) it has emerged, meaning the therapy could soon be available for routine use on the NHS. The assessment covers adults whose severe COPD has not responded to other treatments.

The drug was originally assessed by NICE in 2012, but a lack of compelling data meant the institute could only recommend its use in those already participating in clinical trials. It was approved in the US a year earlier, when the FDA gave the green light for reducing COPD exacerbations. This new recommendation means

The final guideline is due to be published this month, meaning that 122,000 eligible patients in England would have access to the drug within three months through the NHS. The decision was based on data from two new trials which reinforce the case for the drug’s efficacy in addressing hard-to-treat COPD.

“This will be welcome news for many patients who have severe COPD symptoms that have been difficult to control,” says Carole Longson, director of the NICE centre for health technology evaluation. “COPD is a chronic lung condition which causes breathing problems and for many, symptoms will only worsen with time.”

Matt Fellows