NICE final guidance backs novel eye treatment Beovu

UK health technology assessor the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued final guidance recommending Beovu (brolucizumab) as an option in the National Health Service (NHS) for the treatment of neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in adults.

Swiss pharma giant Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) Beovu gained European Commission approval for this indication in February 2020. US approval was granted in October 2019. GlobalData has previously suggested that the drug could bring in sales of between $4.1 billion and $7 billion at peak. Novartis itself touts Beovu as a potential $1-billon-dollar-plus product annually.

Sight loss has a significant financial impact, costing the UK economy a staggering £25.2 billion ($33.1 billion) a year, due to the costs of informal care by family and friends, productivity losses, and quality of life impacts. Macular disease, including wet AMD, is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK with up to 40,000 people developing wet AMD every year. It is a long-term, degenerative disease that can cause changes in vision, often experienced as gaps or dark spots in the centre of a person’s sight.