NICE opens consultation on three drugs for chronic bowel condition

Three drugs to treat ulcerative colitis, a chronic bowel condition, have not been proven to be more cost effective than current available treatments, doctors are being told by the UK’s drug spending watch dog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

NICE said in draft guidance that infliximab, adalimumab and golimumab should not be recommended for routine use in the National Health Service to treat moderate to severe ulcerative colitis.

Infliximab (Remicade, Merck & Co [NYSE: MRK]), adalimumab (Humira, AbbVie {NYSE: ABBV]) and golimumab (Simponi, Merck & Co) are all licensed to treat moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis in adults who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy, or are unable to take such treatments. Infliximab is also licensed to treat children and adolescents aged six-17 years.

An estimated 146,000 people in the UK live with ulcerative colitis, a chronic condition in which the large intestine becomes inflamed. Symptoms vary, but may include bloody diarrhoea, abdominal pain, weight loss, fatigue and an urgent need to go to the lavatory.