NICE no longer recommends Xolair for asthma

The U.K.'s NICE no longer recommends the use of Xolair omalizumab from Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN) in adults as add-on therapy to optimized standard therapy to treat severe, persistent allergic asthma. According to draft guidance, the agency said that additional mortality data and changes to Xolair's dosing regimen indicate that the drug "is not as clinically or cost-effective as was first thought." The committee concluded that even in a subgroup of patients with the most severe asthma, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for Xolair would be between L31,000-L42,000 ($49,600-$67,200) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. NICE usually considers products with ICERs less than or equal to L30,000 per QALY to be cost-effective. Comments are due Nov. 30. ...