British Agency Reverses Stand on Restricting Lucentis for AMD

LONDON, January 2008 — A British health advisory agency has reversed an earlier cost-saving proposal that allows government reimbursement for Lucentis treatments only for the second eye of individuals diagnosed with advanced or "wet" age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can cause blindness.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued a revised proposal, with "draft" status ending Jan. 14, which would allow Lucentis to be injected in any affected eye of British citizens when treatments are capped at 14 per eye.
If additional treatments are needed, NICE officials say the Lucentis manufacturer (Genentech, San Francisco) has agreed to provide additional doses at no cost.
NICE officials say Lucentis is an effective though expensive drug capable of stabilizing vision loss in most people with advanced AMD. About 25 percent of affected eyes achieve vision improvement after regular Lucentis treatments, which cost more than $2,000 per dose.
In another recent development, Genentech announced that a much cheaper version of Lucentis, known as Avastin, will be sold directly to any physicians who choose to use the drug off-label for treating AMD. Avastin is not FDA-approved as an AMD treatment.
Late last year, Genentech made the controversial decision to cease selling Avastin directly to compounding pharmacies that had been repackaging the cancer drug for use as an AMD treatment.
In its recent announcement, Genentech said physicians choosing to use Avastin as an AMD treatment can purchase the drug directly and designate where they want it shipped — including to compounding pharmacies.