NICE recommends PONVORY for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis
pharmafile | January 5, 2022 | News story | Research and Development |
NICE has issued a positive Final Appraisal Document (FAD) recommending PONVORY® (ponesimod) as an option in England and Wales for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The once-daily oral treatment has been approved for adults with active disease defined by clinical or imaging features. RRMS is the most common form of MS, where attackes (relapses) are followed by periods of partial or complete recovery.
“Most people are diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis between the ages of twenty to forty. As such, having treatment options which help to minimise the burden and impact the condition and treatment have on their daily lives, is important,” said Professor Gavin Giovannoni, Professor of Neurology, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. “Disease modifying treatments are designed to diminish some of the life-limiting consequences of having multiple sclerosis. The availability of ponesimod gives people in the UK living with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis a new oral treatment option that can reduce the impact of the condition.”
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS), in which immune cells attack myelin, causing inflammation and lesions. Myelin is the protective casing that surrounds nerve cells, to insulate them and increase the rate at which electrical impulses are passed. Over 130,000 people in the UK currently live with MS, with symptoms varying by patient. The most common symptoms include fatigue, balance and walking problems, numbness or tingling, tremor, cognition problems, dizziness and vertigo, issues with vision and bladder and bowel problems.
NICE’s recommendation is based off data from the Phase III OPTIMUM trial, a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, active-controlled, superiority study of 1,133 adult patients aged 18 to 55 years, across 28 countries. Data from the study was published in 2021 in Jama Neurology.
Ana Ovey
