Patients with diabetes are now likely to get access to Boehringer Ingelheim’s Jardiance (empagliflozin) on the National Health Service in England after a u-turn saw regulators deem the drug value for money.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued preliminary guidelines endorsing the SGLT-2 inhibitor as an option for some patients with type II diabetes.
In October last year the Institute said it was minded not to recommend Jardiance and asked Boehringer to provide more information. The German drugmaker then submitted a new cost-effectiveness model which helped sway NICE’s decision.
Carole Longson, director of the NICE Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, noted that while there are already several diabetes therapies available on the NHS “each has its advantages and disadvantages that affect how suitable they are for each individual”, and so the addition of Jardiance to the arsenal will give patients “even more choice to ensure they get the treatment that is right for them”.
