NICE rejects expanded use of Esbriet (pirfenidone) for early treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.-Roche

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a final appraisal rejecting the expanded use of Esbriet (pirfenidone) for the treatment of early idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in the UK.

Roche said the decision leaves patients with no treatment option to slow the progression of the disease until lung function has been lost, leaving the UK as one of the only countries in Europe where patients do not have access to treatment for early IPF.

Roche had presented new evidence to the committee seeking expansion of Esbriet and they asked for a higher price for the drug. The NICE committee concluded that pirfenidone was not cost-effective at the higher price. It also concluded that the new evidence was not robust and, and even at the current price paid by the NHS, Esbriet could not be considered cost-effective to a wider group than was already recommended.