UK's NICE gives green light to Roche's MabThera for GPA and MPA

UK drugs watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) today approved the use of Swiss drug major Roche’s (ROG: SIX) MabThera (rituximab) for two potentially life-threatening auto-immune diseases, severe forms of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and which result in the inflammation and damage of small blood vessels and frequently involve multiple organs.

The two diseases affect over 13,000 people in the UK and are characterised by the breaking down of specific areas of tissue in the body that, if not treated, can lead to organ damage, organ failure and even death.

“The decision from NICE marks a major step forward in the treatment of these two potentially deadly diseases. The availability of MabThera for patients in England and Wales provides us with great hope for the future management of these diseases,” said David Jayne, consultant in nephrology and vasculitis at Addenbrookes Hospital, quoted by Roche. “GPA and MPA are debilitating conditions which carry a high likelihood of relapse and, if left untreated, are fatal in the majority of patients. MabThera is the first and only licensed treatment option to provide patients with a greater chance of achieving remission in patients whose disease has relapsed,” Dr Jayne added.