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News
9 Aug 2011

NICE Recommends against Novartis Multiple Sclerosis Drug for NHS Patients

The UK's healthcare regulators have recommended against the prescription of Novartis' multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya to NHS patients due to uncertainties over its clinical effectiveness.

The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended against the prescription of Novartis' multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya (fingolimod) to NHS patients due to uncertainties over its clinical effectiveness.

 

In its draft guidance, NICE said that although clinical trials have shown Gilenya can reduce relapses in patients with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, it is unclear how the drug may help specific groups, such as adults who experience at least one relapse in a year despite being treated with beta interferons.

 

NICE could not determine how much the drug reduces the rate of relapse compared with some of the treatments already available on the NHS, because Novartis submitted evidence that compared Gilenya with a placebo only.

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