UK's NICE recommends Merck's Simponi for RA and Roche's MabThera for first-line use

23 June 2011

The UK drugs watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued final guidance recommending National Health Service use of US pharma giant Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) Simponi (golimumab) as an option for treating rheumatoid arthritis in specific circumstances where previous treatments have not worked.

Golimumab in combination with methotrexate is recommended for adults whose rheumatoid arthritis has responded inadequately to conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) only, including methotrexate. In this case, golimumab is an option if it is used as described for other tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor treatments - adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab - covered by NICE technology appraisal 130, and the manufacturer provides the 100mg dose of golimumab at the same cost as the 50mg dose.

The cost of golimumab is £762.97 for a 50mg vial (MIMS) and the annual cost is £9,155.64 ($14,820). The NICE previously approved use of Simponi for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (The Pharma Letter March 18).

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