NICE offers conditional support for eculizumab

The advisory committee acknowledged that the company’s estimate of the incremental cost of eculizumab compared with standard care was considerable and that incremental costs estimated by the evidence review group were higher still (results are confidential).

The company estimated that eculizumab produced 25.22 additional quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) per patient compared with standard care. Although the QALYs estimated in the evidence review group’s analysis were markedly lower than those calculated by the company, both analyses produced substantial QALY gains of a magnitude that is rarely seen for any new drug treatment.

NICE has not yet issued final guidance on eculizumab in aHUS. The draft guidance is now with consultees, including the company, healthcare professionals, and patient/carer organizations, who have the opportunity to appeal against the draft recommendations.

Final guidance on the use of eculizumab to treat aHUS is expected in January 2015.