Thursday, June 10, 2010

Glaxo’s Revolade Fails to Win Recommendation of U.K. Agency - BusinessWeek

Glaxo’s Revolade Fails to Win Recommendation of U.K.'s NICE - BusinessWeek

While Revolade raises the levels of platelets essential to controlling bleeding, it isn’t clear if the drug provides benefits beyond existing treatments, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence said. The medicine, also known as eltrombopag, is approved in Europe for patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura, a rare disorder marked by low platelet levels.

Revolade has an average cost of 55 pounds ($80) for each 50-milligram pill, resulting in an annual price from 22,020 pounds to 33,030 pounds, according to the agency known as NICE. The cost of the drug, relative to its benefits, is far higher than the agency said it would normally consider when deciding whether to recommend routine coverage by the NHS.

No comments: