Celgene was this week recognised for its work in rare diseases when it picked up the award for Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs at PMEA 2014 on Wednesday evening.
Celgene was recognised for its work to build engagement around its cancer drug Imnovid (pomalidomide) in people with a rare blood cancer known as relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma.
The PMEA judges were particularly impressed with the way Celgene was able to provide patients in England with early access to the drug at launch via the Cancer Drugs Fund – a fund to pay for drugs not recommended for NHS reimbursement.
“The challenge was navigating the Cancer Drugs Fund and orchestrating a plan with a small, focused team – and they rose to it,” said the judges.
“Their work led to 212 patients being accepted by the Cancer Drugs Fund and an increase in life expectancy from three to 14 months – an inarguably strong outcome.”
Also recognised in the Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs category at the London awards ceremony was Viropharma, which – alongside Havas Life Medicom – was highly commended for its campaign for Cinryze, a drug to prevent the rare genetic disorder hereditary angioedema.
Run by PMLiVE’s publisher the PMGroup, the PMEA programme is specifically designed to recognise and commend excellence, best practice and innovation in local, European and international healthcare markets.
- See the full results of PMEA 2014
- See photos from PMEA 2014
