NICE publishes final recommendation for Novartis' Entresto

Following positive draft guidance issued last year (The Pharma Letter December 11, 2015), Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: DE) says that the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has now recommend Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan) in its final draft guidance.

Entresto is approved for use within the National Health Service (NHS) as an option for treating symptomatic chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in adult patients with New York Heart Association class II to IV symptoms, a left ventricular ejection fraction of 35% or less and who are taking a stable dose of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin-II-receptor-blockers. The NICE recognized sacubitril/valsartan as an innovative and cost-effective treatment in the management of symptomatic chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

“Heart failure is a highly debilitating, life-threatening condition that causes patients to face a high risk of death, repeated hospitalisations and symptoms that significantly impact their quality of life,” said Nigel Rowell, general practitioner in Middlesborough and Primary Care Lead for the North of England Cardiovascular Network. “With proven benefits in reducing the risk of death and hospitalization, we know that sacubitril/valsartan is effective and GPs and patients will welcome the addition of a new cost-effective treatment,” he noted.

Heart failure affects around 550,000 people in the UKand is a leading cause of hospital admission in patients ≥65 years in the UK, accounting for one million inpatient bed days and £2.3 billion ($3.34 billion) of the NHS budget (2015-16), a figure set to rise due to the UK’s aging population.