PharmaTimesOnline is out with this analysis of yesterday's preliminary decision by NICE -- not to cover (or reimburse outlays for) -- United Kingdom arthritis patients "switching up", to Simponi®:
. . . .A NICE spokesperson said the committee took into account "the views of people with the condition, those who represent them, and clinical specialists". Whilst recognising the severity of the disease, it concluded that golimumab was expected to be "more costly than estimated in the economic model and less cost-effective than etanercept, and so could not be considered a good use of NHS resources".
NICE currently recommends Abbott Laboratories Humira (adalimumab) and J&J/Merck's Remicade (infliximab) as well as Enbrel for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis in people who have peripheral arthritis. The agency stressed that this is just a draft recommendation and consultation closes on October 22.Merck sells Simponi and indeed Remicade in Europe but J&J is trying to terminate the groups’ marketing agreements as it argues that the former's merger with original partner Schering-Plough constituted a “change of control”. The matter is pending arbitration. . . .
Net-net, this makes Merck's rights package slightly less valuable, even if it manages to hold onto the rights, in arbitration.
On that score, see the NEW countdown ticker -- at upper left -- now 33 days, and 14 hours to go! [Idea suggested by Sir Pharmanot, of the Yahoo! MRK kingdom.]
1 comment:
And didn't the NICE also say they would not support switching patients from one anti-TNF to another if they were unresponsive to the first?
That would further eliminate market space for goli, no?
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