NICE has backed Daiichi Sankyo’s Lixiana (edoxaban) in final guidance as a treatment for adults with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
The Institute’s recommendation comes shortly after Lixiana’s European approval in June, when it was also licensed to prevent stroke and systemic embolism (SE) in adults with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).
NICE concluded that Lixiana was a cost-effective use of NHS resources for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), having earlier this month backed the drug’s use in SE in a final appraisal determination.
The DVT and PE guidance puts Lixiana, the fourth novel oral anticoagulant to reach the market, on par with Bayer’s Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Boehringer Ingelheim’s Pradaxa (dabigatran) and Pfizer/BMS’s Eliquis (apixaban).
Lixiana costs £2.10 for a once-daily pill and NICE said the drug’s incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), relative to the use of the older treatment warfarin, would be around £26,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY), though it noted there are no definitive costs for warfarin monitoring.
In terms of its clinical effectiveness Daiichi said Lixiana proven efficacy and a significantly better bleeding profile than well-managed warfarin.
Dr Simon Clough, UK managing director for Daiichi Sankyo, said: “We are very pleased to be able to offer patients and doctors in England and Wales a new and convenient-to-use alternative in the treatment armoury against VTE.
“It is gratifying that NICE has found our therapy to be clinically effective and cost effective shortly after receiving our European authorisation.”
There are over 83,000 new cases of VTE in England each year and a further 42,000 patients require long-term anticoagulation treatment.
A 2007 study across six European countries including the UK estimated 762,000 VTE episodes and a further 370,000 VTE-related deaths each year. Of these deaths, 60% followed untreated VTE.
There is a high rate of recurrence after a first VTE event, and without anticoagulant treatment, approximately half of all patients who have an initial VTE event will experience another within 3 months.