Alzheimer's case concludes in UK High Court

In related news, the UK High Court has reserved judgement until a later date over the attempt by a group of drugmakers and a patient group to overturn the NICE's ruling on Alzheimer's disease drugs (Marketletter July 2). A report in the Daily Telegraph implied that the NICE had conceded that doctors can prescribe one of three drugs affected by the agency's guidance, after taking an individual patient's condition into consideration. Patient advocates pounced on the statement in court to point out how complicated and potentially misleading the present NICE position is, making it difficult for doctors to get a clear picture.

Other media reports highlighted the "L2.50 ($4.99) per day" cost of the drugs, implying that the UK government was failing to care for AD patients. According to Reuters, legal experts estimate that a decision in writing will be handed down by the judge, Linda Dobbs, before the end of July, when the court session ends.

The affected drugs are: Switzerland-based drug major Novartis' Excelon (rivastigmine); Aricept (donepezil) and Reminyl (galantamine), which are co-marketed respectively by Japan's Eisei and global behemoth Pfizer, and by USA-based health care giant Johnson & Johnson and the UK's Shire.