NICE finally approves Stelara for psoriatic arthritis

[Fred]

Following on from the report last December that there could soon be a deal done with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the use of Stelara for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, finally it's been worked out and Stelara will now be available. There is a catch however: It won't be used as a first line bio and you will have to wait till you have tried the others first.

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Janssen's Stelara has been recommended by NICE as a treatment option for patients with active psoriatic arthritis a year after the Institute was minded to reject the treatment.

In final guidance, Stelara (ustekinumab) is now recommended either alone, or in combination with methotrexate, as a second-line therapy.

It is specifically for patients whose response to previous non-biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy has been inadequate.

It is also recommended for patients who have had treatment with one of more TNF-alpha inhibitors, such as Janssen's own Simponi (golimumab) and Remicade (infliximab), as well as AbbVie's Humira (adalimumab) and Pfizer's Enbrel (etanercept).

NICE last year said it would not recommend the drug as it was too costly, but a patient access - which cuts the price of the medicine - has since been offered by the firm, helping it get onto the NHS's funding stream.

The recommendation also limits the drug to be used after other have been tried, meaning its sales potential in England will be knocked as it will not be funded as a first-line therapy.

Peter Barnes, medical director at Janssen UK, said of the decision: “We are delighted with today's recommendation from NICE. We know that people living with psoriatic arthritis are in real need of additional treatment choices that can help them manage a debilitating and often painful condition.

“Ustekinumab could have a marked positive impact of the quality of life for many of these patients living with active psoriatic arthritis and represents an important additional treatment option for this condition.”

The list price for the treatment is £2,147 per 45mg vial, and NICE estimates that the average annual cost for a 45mg and a 90mg dose are £10,735 and £21,470 in the first year, and £9,304 and £18,608 per year thereafter respectively.

Source: pmlive.com

UK could get Stelara discount for psoriatic arthritis.