NICE gives conditional support for eculizumab

Using the same assumptions, the budget impact will rise to £69 million in year 3 (190 existing and 20 new patients), £75 million in year 4 (210 existing and 20 new patients), and £82 million in year 5 (230 existing and 20 new patients).

NHS England has indicated that the amount of the budget allocated for highly specialized services in 2013/14 was £544 million, and the money spent on high-cost drugs was £156 million.

The committee acknowledged that the estimate of the incremental cost of eculizumab made by Alexion Pharmaceuticals (the company developing eculizumab) compared with standard care was considerable. And incremental costs estimated by the evidence review group were higher still (although results are confidential).

Alexion 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, the advisory committee said both analyses produced substantial QALY gains of a magnitude that is rarely seen for any new drug.

For more information, see the guidance on the NICE website.