Sanofi’s Aubagio gains backing from UK’s NICE

8 December 2013

In final draft guidance issued on Friday, the UK drugs watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended the use of French drug major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) subsidiary Genzyme’s multiple sclerosis drug Aubagio (teriflunomide) for National Health Service use.

The good news came a day after in the NICE called for more information on the company’s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), also for MS (The Pharma Letter December 6), and follows a call for additional efficacy data from the company (TPL September 18).

NICE is appraising teriflunomide as a treatment for adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. This is a chronic, disabling, neurological condition that, as it progresses, can be life altering and has a substantial negative impact on quality of life and activities of daily living.

According to the draft guidance, teriflunomide is recommended for treating adults with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (normally defined as two clinically significant relapses in the previous two years), only if:

they do not have highly active or rapidly evolving severe relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; and
the manufacturer provides teriflunomide with the discount agreed in the patient access scheme.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK