UK’s NICE Rejects Roche’s Spinal Muscular Atrophy Drug

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that the National Health Service (NHS) not offer Roche’s Evrysdi (risdiplam) for spinal muscular atrophy patients because of cost concerns.

NICE said Evrysdi’s list price of approximately $11,191 per 60mg/80ml vial was too high for NHS purposes. But the initial assessment may be just a bargaining step as further price negotiations with the company are expected.

Evrysdi, which received marketing authorization from the European Commission in late March and FDA approval in August 2020, is likely to become a blockbuster drug with annual sales of more than $1 billion.