UK health technology assessment (HTA) body NICE has defended its negative draft guidance that if unchanged would mean that patients receiving Lupin Limited’s repurposed drug Namuscla (mexiletine) for ultra-rare nondystrophic myotonic disorders (NMD) on the National Health System since 2019 would no longer receive the treatment.
UK’s NICE Namuscla Decision A ‘Red Flag’ For Repurposed Medicines
Lupin and patient groups have slammed NICE’s “unprecedented” preliminary decision not to mandate funding for the repurposed rare disease treatment Namuscla for patients on England’s National Health Service who are already taking the drug. The move could set a precedent and is concerning for patients and R&D investments, says the company.
