Reuters health Information - Medscape Ophthalmology
LONDON (Reuters) Jul 15 - Novartis's pricey eye drug Lucentis (ranibizumab) has been rejected as a treatment for diabetic macular edema by Britain's health cost-effectiveness watchdog NICE, adding to controversy about the medicine, which is injected into the eye.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said on Friday that while Lucentis did treat the condition, it was less cost-effective than standard laser therapy.
NICE already recommends Lucentis for wet age-related macular degeneration -- but its use in this condition has sparked debate because low doses of Roche's Avastin (bevacizumab) work in a similar way and cost a fraction of the price.
Future Lucentis sales had looked very uncertain earlier this year ahead of a head-to-head trial comparing it with Avastin. The trial results showed that although Avastin was just as effective, it had more side effects, going some way to protecting Lucentis' use.
Novartis said it was disappointed by the draft final guidance from NICE, which decides if particular treatments should be used on the state-run health service or not.
The Swiss drugmaker added that its drug had been shown in clinical trials to provide sustained vision gains, while laser therapy tended to stabilize but not improve vision.
The NICE draft guidance is now open to appeal before a final recommendation is issued to the National Health Service.
Lucentis costs 742.17 pounds ($1,190) per injection. It is designed to be given monthly and continued until vision is stable over three consecutive monthly assessments.
Â