Draft guidance from UK's NICE recommends Roche's RoActemra for systemic JIA

In final draft guidance published today, by the UK drugs watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is recommending Swiss drug major Roche’s (tocilizumab) for treating systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

The draft recommendation is for the use of tocilizumab in children and young people aged two years and older, where specific previous treatments have not produced an adequate response, if the manufacturer makes tocilizumab available with the discount agreed as part of the patient access scheme.

Back in the summer, in an earlier draft guidance, the NICE called for additional data on the use of the drug in systemic JIA, without which it could not recommend use of the product (The Pharma Letter August 11). The agency has also opened a consultation on draft guidance which provisionally recommends the use of RoActemra at additional stages in treating rheumatoid arthritis (TPL October 7).