NICE has cleared MSD’s type 2 diabetes treatment Steglatro for routine NHS use in combination with metformin, or as a monotherapy for those who are intolerant to the anti-diabetic drug.
Steglatro is one of the competitors in the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor drugs, which are now becoming standard therapy in managing type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients in major markets.
Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Jardiance is emerging as the leader in the class, thanks to its strong evidence base, and Lilly increased its share of global revenues by 47% last year to $658.3m.
MSD (and Pfizer which co-markets the drug in the US) are playing catch up in the class, and have therefore undercut all of their SGLT-2 rivals with a lower price for Steglatro.
In the UK, the treatment is priced at £29.40 for 28 days, a price which NICE points out is the lowest acquisition cost of any SGLT-2 inhibitor.
“The decision by NICE shows MSD’s commitment to meeting the needs of a growing population of people with T2DM,” said Louise Houson, Managing Director, MSD UK & Ireland.
“We recognise the financial burden that an increasing number of people living with chronic conditions, such as T2DM, puts on resources and we continue to work closely with NICE and the NHS to increase access to new treatments which could improve the standard of care, while trying to lessen the economic pressures often associated with them.”
England’s cost effectiveness watchdog was also impressed with Steglatro’s efficacy profile, saying the drug “demonstrated effective glycaemic control and reductions in blood pressure and weight that are comparable to other SGLT-2 inhibitors”.
MSD is hoping Steglatro can take market share from other more established rivals in the class, which includes AstraZeneca’s Forxiga and Janssen’s Invokana.
Forxiga recently expanded its use in type 1 diabetes in the EU in overweight or obese patients, claiming the first oral add-on to insulin in this group of patients.