Scottish Medicines Consortium gives go-ahead for Novartis’ Mayzent in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

pharmafile | October 15, 2020 | News story | Sales and Marketing Mayzent, Novartis, Scotland 

Novartis’ Mayzent (siponimod) has been approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium in the treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) with active disease, meaning patients on the NHS in Scotland will be able to access the therapy.

Patients with “active disease” are defined as those experiencing relapses or imaging features of inflammatory activity. Diagnosis for cases of SPMS can be difficult due to uncertainty around exactly when relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis progresses into SPMS.

“At the moment there are few options for someone whose MS is changing from relapsing remitting to secondary progressive, so this approval is very welcome and a big step forward,” commented David Martin, Chief Executive Officer at the Multiple Sclerosis Trust. “By slowing down disability progression and improving cognition, siponimod has the potential to allow people to carry on working, remain independent and stay connected with family and friends. More broadly, we hope that the availability of this new treatment will lead to a greater focus on services for progressive MS which would benefit a much wider group of people.”

The decision means that Mayzent is the first and only oral disease-modifying therapy (DMT) to be approved in Scotland – an important step during the COVID-19 pandemic when a recent survey revealed that more than half of patients expressed fears around visiting medical centres to receive treatment. This formulation allows patients to self-administer treatment at home.

The approval was supported by Phase 3 data which showed that Mayzent reduced the risk of three-month confirmed disability progression (CDP) by 21% compared to placebo, while also reducing the risk of three- and six-month CDP by 31% and 37% respectively over placebo.

This follows NICE also recommending the treatment to be available on the NHS in England.

Matt Fellows

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