Final ICER report reinforces message on SMA therapies

4 April 2019

Biogen (Nasdaq: BIIB) and Novartis (NOVN: VX) have been given a reminder of their responsibility to patients in pricing their spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) therapies in the USA.

As with the draft versions, the final report from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), makes the case that Biogen’s Spinraza (nusinersen) is far too expensive and urges Novartis to set a fair price for Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec), a drug that the company acquired in its takeover of AveXis.

"The ripple effect of pricing decisions like these threatens the overall affordability and sustainability of the US health system"Spinraza was approved in 2016 for treatment of SMA in both children and adults. Zolgensma is a one-time gene therapy that has been studied in infants with Type I SMA, and a US Food and Drug Administration decision on whether to approve it is expected within months.

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