NICE recommends Extavia for MS

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has today published draft guidance recommending multiple sclerosis drug Extavia (beta 1b interferon), from Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX), for routine funding on the National Health Service (NHS).

A discount to the price of this drug now means it can be recommended as a cost effective option for adults with relapsing- remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) or secondary progressive MS with continued relapses.

Affecting around 116,000 people in England, MS is a chronic and disabling condition affecting the brain and spinal cord. Around 40,000 people in England haverelapsing-remitting MS. This is where people have distinct symptoms, such as vision problems or difficulty keeping balance, which then fade away either partially or completely. Secondary progressive MS is the stage after relapsing remitting MS where the disability steadily gets worse.