NRAS very disappointed with negative NICE announcement for abatacept in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

NICE rejects use of abatacept following treatment failure with DMARDS, shutting the door for some patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) who are unable to take anti-TNF therapy, an alternative clinically effective treatment option

Maidenhead, UK, 23rd June 2011 – NICE have issued a negative Final Appraisal Document (FAD) for abatacept, not recommending its use in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) following treatment failure with DMARDs.  The biologic treatments which have been licensed for use post DMARD failure are TNF antagonists, Tocilizumab, already rejected for use by NICE, and Abatacept, also now rejected by NICE. This means that patients who have failed on standard treatment (2 DMARDs including Methotrexate) who are contra-indicated for Anti-TNF, have had the only two remaining licensed biologic treatments for this point in the treatment pathway denied to them.

Abatacept is a selective T-cell modulator licensed for the treatment of moderate to severe RA in adults whose disease has responded inadequately to previous therapy with one or more DMARDs including methotrexate or a tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor.

NRAS is very disappointed because this decision by NICE will leave a group of patients with no biologic options after failure of two conventional DMARDs, following which pain and disability are likely to increase.  The alternative treatment available to some would be Rituximab, although this is less suitable for those with sero-negative disease and it is not licensed for use post DMARD failure or passed by NICE for use at this point in the patient pathway.

NRAS believes patients who could benefit from a clinically proven treatment should not be discriminated against on the grounds of health status.

Ailsa Bosworth, CEO of NRAS said “This is not good news for this group of patients.  Asking them to continue on DMARDs when they have failed at least two including methotrexate and have a DAS score greater than 5.1 is condemning them to a life of pain and misery, with worsening disease which offers an ever decreasing quality of life.  For these patients, long term, high dose steroids may become the only option, an option which is not recommended by NICE.”  

For more information, please contact:
Ailsa Bosworth, CEO, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society
Tel: 0845 458 3969