BRIEF—Takeda wins UK funding for Livtencity

Japanese pharma major Takeda has received a positive reimbursement decision from the UK’s health technology assessor, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The NICE has recommended the use of Livtencity (maribavir) as a twice daily oral treatment for certain people with post-transplant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and/or disease that is refractory to one or more prior therapies.

The final appraisal means that funding will be unlocked for the regular use of the treatment in England and Wales.

Livtencity, the first and only oral therapy that blocks the CMV-specific UL97 protein kinase, received approval in the European Union in mid-November.

CMV is a frequent complication after transplantation and can lead to serious morbidity, including rejection of the transplanted organ.