UK's NICE does about turn on UCB's Cimzia, backing it use for RA, but with cost-sharing deal

Final draft guidance published today by the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) would add another rheumatoid arthritis drug to the armamentarium available for use in the National Health Service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with the agency now recommending Belgian drugmaker UCB Pharma's Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) as a treatment option for some patients with the disease.

Just last October, the watchdog said it was "minded not to recommended" the UCB drug as a treatment option for RA, citing uncertainty embedded in economic models submitted by the company. The NICE has also declined to approve Roche's RA drug Actemra (toculizumab) - which has just been backed for Scotland (which has a separate agency giving guidance on NHS treatment) - on cost grounds (The Pharma Letter January 20).

Around 400,000 people in the UK have RA and people of all ages can develop the disease. Over twice as many women as men suffer from the condition. Certolizumab pegol is a type of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor. It is recommended for the same use as the other TNF inhibitors: adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab, as outlined in existing NICE technology appraisal guidance 130, the agency noted.