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Pfizer Ltd is pleased that the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has recommended Lyrica (pregabalin) for use within NHS Scotland for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain in patients who have not achieved adequate pain relief from, or have not tolerated, conventional first and second line treatments.
Dr Berkeley Philips, Medical Director, Pfizer Limited said: “Peripheral neuropathic pain affects between 80,000 and 160,000 people in Scotland, and is associated with significant co-morbidities, reduced quality of life and socio-economic burden.
In clinical practice, some patients still fail to achieve adequate pain relief despite trying multiple pain medications. This decision represents a positive step for patients and physicians in Scotland and provides a valuable, additional treatment option”.
The Pfizer submission to the SMC focused on the use of pregabalin in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain who were refractory to earlier treatments. As part of the submission evidence from six non-randomised studies (including studies in the UK and Scotland) were presented to show an efficacy benefit of pregabalin in 242 treatment-refractory patients, comparable to the efficacy demonstrated in pregabalin clinical trials. This evidence included patients with a variety of peripheral neuropathic pain syndromes, who have previously tried and failed on multiple pain treatments, including tricyclic antidepressants and gabapentin.
In addition, evidence was provided that demonstrated pregabalin as an effective treatment for peripheral neuropathic pain, compared to placebo or usual care, in 22 RCTs and sustained efficacy and tolerability in 16 open-label studies up to two years in duration.
