NICE Recommends Pradaxa to Treat Blood Clots in Legs and Lungs

The UK’s health care costs regulator is recommending Boehringer Ingelheim’s anticoagulant Pradaxa as an option to treat and prevent recurrent and potentially fatal blood clots in the legs and lungs.

Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) is a cost-effective option for treating deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in adults, according to guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Pradaxa costs roughly $100 per 60-capsule pack of 150 mg or 110 mg doses, or about $3.50 per day of treatment.

The appraisal committee compared Pradax to warfarin. Use of warfarin can be difficult for many people due to the need to conduct frequent tests to see if the blood is clotting properly, and to adjust the dosage accordingly, said Carole Longson, director of NICE’s health technology evaluation center.

NICE did not produce draft guidance for this topic. Rather, it developed a final appraisal determination (FAD) consisting of final recommendations. Consultees have until Nov. 21 to file an appeal or point out factual errors.

Subject to any appeal by consultees, the FAD may be used as NICE’s guidance on the product by the UK’s National Health Service, Bijal Joshi, the project’s manager, said.

NICE already recommended Pradaxa and two other new generation blood thinners to treat atrial fibrillation rather than commonly-used warfarin or aspirin in June. — Jonathon Shacat

Originally appeared in Drug Industry Daily, the pharmaceutical industry’s number one source for regulatory news and information. Click here for more information.