Dive Brief:
- Entyvio (vedolizumab) was initally denied for coverage by the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in December 2014.
- For patients with mild-to-moderate Crohn's disease, Entyvio is intended to be used as second-line treatment after therapy with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha inhibitors has failed.
- The NICE reversed its position after reviewing newly submitted data from Takeda.
Dive Insight:
Increasingly, payers are asking drug makers for data showing the value of a drug in treating a specific disorder, and often they are looking for comparative data. NICE has been a leading trendmaker when it comes to demanding value-based analyses.
Takeda delivered by submitting a pharmacoeconomic study in which a model showed that the probability of Entyvio being effective compared with conventional non-biologic therapy at a maximum acceptable cost effectiveness ratio of $46,500 was 61%.
According to Crohn's and Colitis UK, official estimates from NICE (2012 and 2013) place the number of people in the U.K. who have Crohn's disease at roughly 115,000; however, Crohn's and Colitis UK suggests that this figure is too low---and that the actual figure may be as high as 620,000. Regardless of the precise number, patients with Crohn's disease in the UK stand to benefit from NICE's decision on Entyvio.