The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE), which assesses the potential benefits and costs of new medicines, is once again in the spotlight following their ruling that Sativex is not cost-effective at the price quoted by its manufacturer, Almirall. This means that Sativex will not be reimbursed under one of the HSE's drug schemes.
The NCPE, who featured heavily in the news earlier in 2014 after deeming Fampyra not cost-effective, has raised serious concerns over the cost of Sativex, which has been the subject of much debate over the past few years. The NCPE estimates Sativex will cost between €4,500 and €5,000 per patient, but it says there is a “substantial degree of uncertainty” about how many doses a patient would use.
In a recent article written for MSnews, the NCPE stated that:
"If reimbursement is not recommended at the submitted price the NCPE may recommend to the HSE that the drug may offer some health benefit but the price requested by the pharmaceutical company is too high for the amount of benefit offered. In this case, price negotiations will begin between the pharmaceutical company and the HSE. In some cases agreement is reached to make the drug available at a fair price."
In July 2014, outgoing Minister for State at the Department of Health Alex White signed regulations that would allow for approved medicines containing the active ingredients of cannabis to be prescribed in Ireland.
We will update you as soon as there are further developments.
Further reading
- Irish Times article 09/10/14
- MSnews No.96, p14-15 - explanation of the NCPE process
- MS Ireland Sativex Information Sheet