NICE turns down AZ's chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drug
Pharmafocus | February 14, 2017
AstraZeneca’s Daxas (roflumilast) has been knocked back in draft guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), rejected by the regulator as a treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The treatment was rejected on the basis of cost-effectiveness; AstraZeneca calculated the drug’s price per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained at £18,774, but NICE placed the figure at £71,365 by utilising different data, leaving the committee no choice but to brand the drug as an inefficient use of NHS resources.