ICER takes aim at half-million dollar Onpattro price tag

A final report from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) finds that the pricing of new therapies for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR) “far exceeds commonly cited thresholds for cost effectiveness.”

The report from the Boston, USA-based cost effectiveness watchdog, which includes recommendations for policymakers, looks at Akcea Therapeutics’ (Nasdaq: AKCA) Tegsedi (inotersen), which on Friday also won approval in this indication in the USA, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals’ (Nasdaq: ALNY) Onpattro (patisiran), which was approved in August.

A review of the evidence from ICER’s “independent evidence appraisal committees” found that both therapies provided “a substantial net health benefit when compared to best supportive care alone,” however, evaluators added that there was not enough evidence to distinguish between the two treatments.