NICE recommends ocrelizumab following manufacturer and NHS lower price agreement

The National Institute for health and Care Excellence (NICE) has reversed its draft decision not to recommend ocrelizumab (Ocrevus, Roche) for treating primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) in adults.
 
The decision formed part of final draft guidance on the drug published last week (9 May), following an agreement between NHS England and the manufacturer that will make ocrelizumab available at a lower price.
 
The details of the commercial arrangement are confidential.
 
NICE said: “Given the unmet clinical need of people with this form of MS, the cost-effectiveness estimates for ocrelizumab at the new lower price compared with best supportive care alone are in the range that NICE considers an acceptable use of NHS resources.”
 
Meindert Boysen, director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at NICE, said:“Our earlier draft guidance acknowledged that ocrelizumab represents an important development in the treatment of a condition for which there is a large unmet need. Unfortunately we couldn’t recommend it at the price offered at that time because it did not represent a cost-effective use of limited NHS resources.
 
“We are therefore pleased that NHS England and the company have been able to reach an agreement that will see this important new treatment made available to thousands of people with this form of MS.”
 
Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England said:“This innovative deal shows that NHS England is successfully working with companies to make treatments available for patients who need them, through flexibility and thorough negotiation.”