EuroPharma Today

European HTA Round-Up: NICE Focuses On Cost Effectiveness, IQWiG On Clinical Benefit, But Convergence May Come

It is becoming increasingly clear that NICE and IQWiG have very different concerns on the reimbursement front, but it is only a matter of time before IQWiG gets its teeth into cost-benefit analyses.

Austerity Holds Back VC Investing in European Biotech Companies in 2011

Funding for private biotech companies in Europe declines 17% during 2011, while funding for public biotech companies falls 50%, although 2012 starts strongly.

U.K. To Leverage NHS Data As Part Of Broader Stimulus Package, But Details Still Sketchy

Industry welcomed the initiatives, which included making National Health Service clinical data more widely available and strengthening NICE's role.

Grunenthal CEO Claims German Reimbursement Hurdle Is Fair, As Pain Drug Palexia Rolls Out Across Europe

German reimbursement authority’s strong emphasis on drugs’ added benefit is logical, opines Grunenthal CEO Harald Stock. And all health care systems will eventually move the same way.

AZ’s Brillinta Is First Drug To Clear AMNOG Assessment, While Merck’s Victrelis Limps Forward

Lack of consistent approach in IQWiG/G-BA AMNOG-based decisions leaves industry confused about new reimbursement route.

Rx Class Action Suits May Come To France In Response To Mediator Scandal

A bill in the French upper house of parliament, the Senate, aimed at averting conflicts of interest in the pharmaceutical sector now has a section that could in fact encourage conflict by creating potentially painful class action cases against firms.

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics Ends Glybera Development, Halves Workforce

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics BV's potential gene therapy, Glybera (alipogene tiparvovec), may have been rejected for approval by Europe's top scientific advisory panel, CHMP, on Oct. 21, but the closeness of the vote - there was only one dissenting voice - suggests it won't be long before a gene therapy product clears the committee and reaches the European market.

Teva Launches Generic Salmeterol in the U.K. To Compete With GSK's Serevent

Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. has succeeded in piercing the market exclusivity surrounding GlaxoSmithKline PLC's inhaled asthma products with a "first-to-market" launch on Oct.7 in the U.K. of a salmeterol xinafoate inhaler.

Proposed Swedish Pharma Pricing Model Suggests VBP Is Not Enough To Control Costs

The Swedish government published on Sept. 22 a framework directive designed to revolutionize the pricing, reimbursement of and access to patent-protected pharmaceuticals.

Success Of German Cost-Control Law Raises Prospect Of Further Cuts For Pharma

Germany's pharmaceutical sector restructuring law (AMNOG) is living up to the government's expectations by putting the brakes on the country's drug expenditure.