Boehringer's Praxbind reimbursed in England, Ireland and Wales

German family-owned pharma major Boehringer Ingelheim says that its Praxbind (idarucizumab) is now available to be used commercially in England, Ireland and Wales after the Health Technology Appraisal bodies in these countries agreed that it is eligible for full reimbursement without the need for a full appraisal.

Idarucizumab rapidly and specifically reverses the anticoagulant effect of Boehringer’s Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) for patients needing emergency surgery /urgent procedures or in situations of life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding. The drug received its European Commission marketing authorization last fall (The Pharma Letter November 27, 2015) and is the first and only specific reversal agent for a non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) to be granted a licence in the European Union.

Welcoming the news, Klaus Dugi, medical director and managing director Boehringer UK and Ireland said: “Anticoagulants offer important benefits to patients but there are going to be very rare circumstances when rapid reversal of the anticoagulation effect of dabigatran is beneficial… “While we do not anticipate that it will be used regularly there can be no doubt that its availability will provide added confidence for prescribers when choosing dabigatran for their patients.