NICE now backs Iluvien for DME subset
The U.K.'s NICE issued draft guidance recommending the use of Iluvien fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant from Alimera Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:ALIM) for a subset of patients with chronic diabetic macular edema (DME). The committee recommends use of Iluvien to treat DME considered insufficiently responsive to available therapies but only in patients who have had their natural lens replaced with an intraocular lens. The recommendation is contingent on Alimera providing Iluvien at an undisclosed discount under a patient access scheme.
The guidance reverses final guidance issued in January, in which NICE recommended against the use of Iluvien for all insufficiently responsive DME patients. With the new discount, the committee said the most plausible incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for Iluvien in the subgroup of patients with an intraocular lens would be L17,600-L30,300 ($27,328-$47,047) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. ...