UK NICE U-turn sees approval of Jannsen's Stelara

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the medicines watchdog for England and Wales, has recommended Stelara (ustekinumab) in its definitive Technology Appraisal Guidance (TAG).

Stelara, marketed by Janssen, a subsidiary of US health care giant Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), is recommend as a treatment option for patients with active psoriatic arthritis, when the response to previous non-biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy has been inadequate. The drug generated sales of $2.07 billion, up 37.8% year on year, in 2014 for J&J.

In May 2014, the NICE issued technology appraisal guidance 313 which did not recommend using ustekinumab alone or in combination with methotrexate, for treating active psoriatic arthritis in adults when the response to previous non-biological DMARD therapy has been inadequate.