NICE wet AMD drug rethink after 13,000 complaints

After coming under attack over its latest draft recommendation, to provide limited access for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to two innovative drugs (Marketletters June 18 and 25), the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the UK advisory body which recommends medical treatments in England and Wales under the National Health Service, has announced a review of its decision. The UK's public broadcaster, the BBC, reported that over 13,000 complaints, a record, had been made against the NICE's proposals.

The government agency says it will carry out further "economic modeling," a procedure which has faced strong criticism from drugmakers and patient groups, and which is under judicial review in another access to drug case, concerning Alzheimer's disease drugs (Marketletters passim).

The wet AMD drugs under review are global drug behemoth Pfizer's Macugen (pegaptanib injection) and Swiss drug major Novartis' Lucentis (ranibizumab).