NICE wants better analytics

Novartis AG got none of what it wanted and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. got only some of what it wanted from the initial appraisal of two HBV drugs by the U.K.'s NICE last week. But both companies will get another bite at the apple - and in this case NICE's expectations do not appear onerous.

NICE's initial recommendation was to approve Baraclude entecavir from BMS for use on the National Health Service (NHS) to treat patients with chronic HBV who are hepatitis B e antigen (HbeAg)-positive but not HbeAg-negative. The appraisal committee also requested further clarification from the company of cost effectiveness for HbeAg-negative patients (see Online Links, A8)...