NICE has published final draft guidance which recommends a new treatment, ozanimod for moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis.
Ozanimod (also known as Zeposia and made by Celgene, a Bristol Myers Squibb Company) is recommended if conventional or biological treatments are not tolerated or working well enough to control the disease.
The company estimates there could be over 12,000 people who could benefit from the treatment. Clinical trial evidence looked at how ozanimod worked in people who had experience of being treated for moderate to severe ulcerative colitis with conventional and biological therapies. The results from this trial showed that people who took ozanimod experienced a significant reduction in their symptoms when compared with a placebo.
Ulcerative colitis is a lifelong condition in which the colon becomes inflamed. It can cause abdominal pain, diarrhoea, tiredness and weight loss. Symptoms can suddenly flare up before easing off for a few weeks or months. Because flare-ups are unpredictable, living with ulcerative colitis can cause anxiety and stress.
Ozanimod works by reducing the number of white blood cells circulating freely around the body. It helps to reduce the inflammation by stopping certain white blood cells from reaching the intestinal lining. People who take ozanimod usually start at a low dose and gradually build up to reduce side effects.
The list price of an ozanimod induction pack is £343 (4 tablets of 0.23 mg and 3 tablets of 0.46 mg per pack). The price of a maintenance pack is £1,373 (0.92 mg, 28-tablet pack) or £4,806 (0.92 mg, 98-tablet pack. The estimated cost for the induction and maintenance phases of treatment is £17,910 per patient per.
The company has a commercial arrangement (simple discount patient access scheme). This makes ozanimod available to the NHS with a confidential discount.
You can find a link to the final draft guidance here
