Lilly to appeal after UK agency opposes reimbursement for Alzheimer's drug
June 19 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab said on Thursday it would appeal against a UK agency's recommendation to not reimburse the cost of Alzheimer's drug Kisunla, blocking access for patients seeking treatment under the country's state-run health service.
The U.S.-based drugmaker plans to appeal on the grounds that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's (NICE) recommendation was unreasonable based on the evidence the company, clinical experts and patient groups have submitted.
Kisunla was approved in the UK last year to treat mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease. NICE, which determines the cost-effectiveness of treatments paid for by public funds, had at the time deemed Lilly's drug too expensive for wide use.
Leqembi, a rival drug from Eisai (4523.T), opens new tab and Biogen (BIIB.O), opens new tab, was also deemed too costly for UK's state-run health service in August last year.
NICE's reimbursement recommendation marks another hurdle for Lilly's drug, after the EU medicines regulator in March rejected Kisunla saying the treatment's ability to slow cognitive decline was not significant enough to outweigh the risk of serious brain swelling in patients.
Both Kisunla and Leqembi are designed to clear sticky clumps of a protein called amyloid beta in the brain, believed to be a hallmark of Alzheimer's.
They entered the market after decades of failed attempts to combat the mind-wasting disease.
Adoption of the drugs has been slow in the United States due to the complexities involved with their use, such as the need for extra diagnostic tests and regular brain scans to monitor for potentially serious side effects.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
36 minutes ago
- The Guardian
UK sickle cell patients ‘get worse care than sufferers of similar disorders'
People living with sickle cell disease face substandard care as its treatment significantly lags behind advances relating to other genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, a report has found. The study, commissioned by the NHS Race and Health Observatory and carried out by researchers at Imperial College London, analysed various measures of care for sickle cell disease between 2010 and 2024, including clinical trials, approved drugs and reviews of existing studies. The findings indicated that sickle cell care across the UK does not have parity with other genetic disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, with there being only 0.5 specialist nurses per 100 patients for sickle cell, compared with two per 100 for cystic fibrosis. The report also found that there is 2.5 times more research funding for cystic fibrosis than for sickle cell, meaning the former has more treatment options and breakthrough drugs than the latter. Evidence of substandard care for people with sickle cell was also found, with 20% of babies with the condition not being seen by a specialist by three months of age, despite the NHS screening programme guidelines that 90% of babies should be seen by this milestone. Prof Habib Naqvi, the chief executive of the observatory, said sickle cell care 'significantly lags behind' that for other rare genetic conditions. He added: 'These inequalities are stark and, despite being a common genetic disorder, sickle cell has endured years of inadequate attention and investment that has resulted in the experiences we then see play out for people living with the condition. 'We do highlight the stark inequalities that exist for people with sickle cell in comparison with other rare conditions, but we also offer evidence-based solutions for meaningful change.' The report also found that these disparities in care for people with sickle cell disease were not due to a lack of need, given that hospital admissions for sickle cell rose by 42% between 2013 and 2022. These disparities exist despite the fact sickle cell disease is just as prevalent as other rare genetic disorders. The disorder primarily affects people from an African-Caribbean background. In England, about 17,000 people are living with the disease, an inherited blood disorder, with 250 new cases a year. Sickle cell disease changes the shape of blood cells into crescents, hindering blood flow. People with the condition experience severe painful episodes, which can require hospital admission. Approximately 11,000 people in the UK have cystic fibrosis, a condition which causes breathing and digestive problems due to mucus. The median age of death for sickle cell is 47. For cystic fibrosis, it is 48. John James, the chief executive of the Sickle Cell Society, said the landmark report 'makes it impossible for anyone to ignore the existence of deep inequalities faced by people with sickle cell – in healthcare, research funding and wider recognition'. He added that the findings were sobering. 'It is unimaginable that these disparities have, beyond all reason, continued for so long. 'However, by analysing how other long-term conditions are supported and resourced, it is clear to see the tangible difference that investment in healthcare makes.' Prof Bola Owolabi, NHS England's director for the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme, said: 'It is unacceptable that people with sickle cell disease face worse outcomes than those with other conditions, which is why the NHS England has stepped up with its sickle cell and thalassemia quality improvement project. 'Patient care has also been boosted by introduction of digital care plans so they don't need to repeat their stories to healthcare staff, and we have launched a campaign to boost awareness of key signs and symptoms of the disorder called Can You Tell It's Sickle Cell?'
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I discovered I was expecting after doctors gave me a terminal diagnosis - mother shares 'miracle' pregnancy journey on new Mail podcast
Podcast All episodes Play on Apple Spotify A young mother has shared the extraordinary story of her 'miracle' pregnancy while facing a terminal diagnosis, in the latest episode of the Mail's The Apple & The Tree podcast. Fiona Hinton, 42, spoke to her father, Steven Speakman, 71, about the challenges of balancing motherhood with advanced pulmonary fibrosis. The podcast, hosted by the Reverend Richard Coles, brings together parents and their adult children to answer questions about their shared family history. Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive lung disease where scar tissue builds up in the lungs, making it increasingly difficult to breathe and ultimately proving fatal as the lungs lose their ability to transfer oxygen to the blood. 'I was 35 and I had a cold that just rambled on and on', Fiona said. 'Doctors told me I had asthma, but it didn't feel like asthma. Nothing would relieve this cough – I tried inhalers and various other things. 'I was a client director, so I would go to London a lot to present at conferences. It got to this point where I would get breathless going up on stage. 'I would never say I was the pinnacle of athletic health – but this seemed very odd, the breathlessness kept getting worse and worse.' Fiona revealed her symptoms reached a crisis point during a business meeting when she couldn't catch her breath after climbing just one flight of stairs. 'The CEO turned to me and said: "Fiona, you look really uncomfortable", she recounted. 'I could barely breathe in this meeting - he told me to go home and go to A&E. 'My dad took me to the hospital, and we had to petition for the nurses to take me seriously. I remember saying: 'I can't go home, I can't breathe, I can't wait and see – I think I'm dying.' After being transferred to a specialist treatment centre, doctors told Fiona she had pulmonary fibrosis, an 'extremely rare' diagnosis for her age. Steven, a former teacher from Manchester, told the podcast that he has struggled to accept the devastating news. He said: 'It's this slow and ratcheting thing to conclude that your daughter's life is going to be limited. 'I still hold out hope for a cure because it's been difficult for me. I think of myself as physically robust and you're my junior; I struggled to accept it. 'I have come to terms with it now: we're all limited in life – there is a beginning and an end and there's a brevity to your life that's hard upon us to accept.' While coming to terms with her terminal diagnosis, Fiona 'miraculously' fell pregnant despite having previously struggled to conceive. 'Something that lifted the mood for us all was the arrival of Harry', she said. 'I have a two-year-old and he came about quite miraculously after the diagnosis. My husband and I had IVF for several years and had no success. We decided to give up. 'By some miracle, we fell naturally pregnant – my son arrived in 2022, and he's been the light of lives, raising everybody's spirits.' Fiona broke down when candidly discussing the challenges of new motherhood while facing her own mortality. She said: 'I have to plan ahead all of the time now - that is tedious sometimes. I am a strong person, but it's difficult being put in that vulnerable position all the time. 'Disease doesn't discriminate – it gets you wherever you are and whoever you are. 'It's not guaranteed I will grow old with my husband or see my son grow up – and that's hard. Sometimes, it's too awful to contemplate. 'All I see is Harry's little face and that's a dagger to heart. Nobody loves you like your mum loves you. 'I just have to think one day at a time because the alternative is total and utter despair. 'I want to play a role in Harry's life – to let him know who I was, because I won't necessarily be there to do that forever.' To listen to full episode, search for The Apple & The Tree, wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released every Thursday.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Father-of-four dies of bowel cancer, aged 40, within months of being diagnosed - the only warning sign was terrifyingly easy to dismiss
A father-of-four whose only sign of deadly bowel cancer was a troubling stomach ache has died, eight months after being told he had the disease. Kyle Ingram-Baldwin, 40, had only just launched a fundraiser on June 8 to pay for alternative treatments as he was 'not prepared to give up'. But in a heartbreaking post on the funding platform his wife Becky confirmed he had died on June 16. 'Unfortunately, Kyle took a very sudden and unexpected turn and we lost him yesterday,' she wrote. 'He was the most incredible man I have ever met, and I know he would want me to thank everyone for all your sharing and donations.' His death comes amid a worrying trend of younger adults being diagnosed with the devastating disease. Mr Ingram-Baldwin, from Minster, Kent, originally sought help from his GP in October after suffering a persistent stomach ache that he suspected was linked to stress or gallstones. But after the pain got worse he ended up attending A&E where scans revealed the true devastating cause. An ultrasound showed worrying bulges on his liver, with a follow-up CT scan confirming these were cancer. Further tests revealed these were secondary growths from a cancer that had originated in his bowel. This meant the disease was already at stage-four, the final and most serious stage. Only 10 per cent of bowel cancer patients diagnosed at stage four are alive five years later, according to Cancer Research UK. Recalling the moment he got the news Mr Ingram-Baldwin said the mental toll was extraordinary. 'I was thinking, what's going on here? What have I done wrong? I was putting the blame on my own feet and worrying about the future for my wife and kids,' he said. 'That's probably the hardest thing-the mental side. 'Don't get me wrong, the physical is not funny either, but it's a mental challenge.' Mr Ingram-Baldwin, who worked for a vending machine supplier, underwent more than half-a-dozen rounds of gruelling chemotherapy. But, unfortunately, this failed to bring the disease under control. Shortly before his death Mr Ingram-Baldwin spoke about how the cancer had impacted his wife, and children aged 12, nine, three and one. 'It's really hard to put into words, because I love my kids so much. You just worry about their future,' he said. 'They've got the best mum in the world, and I genuinely mean that. My wife's incredible.' He urged other patients to not dismiss signs that something isn't right in their bodies. 'I didn't present with any of the conventional symptoms,' he said. 'If you think anything's wrong, please press your GP and go get it checked, because I genuinely wouldn't want anyone being in my position.' Symptoms of the bowel cancer include changes in bowel movements such as diarrhoea or constipation, needing or feeling the need to empty your bowels more or less frequently, blood in stool, stomach pain, bloating, as well as unexpected weight loss and fatigue. Stomach pain like Mr Ingram-Baldwin experienced, a lump in the stomach, bloating and fatigue are also among other common signs. Mr Ingram-Baldwin isn't alone in being hit by a devastating bowel cancer diagnosis as a young adult. Experts have noted a concerning and mysterious rise in rates of the disease among young adults, defined in cancer terms as those under 50. A recent global study found rates of bowel cancer in under 50 year-olds are rising in 27 of 50 nations. England is averaging a 3.6 per cent rise in younger adults every year-one of the highest increases recorded. While the disease is known linked to obesity, experts have noted that the disease also seems to also be occurring in fit and healthy patients. Some experts believe the explanation must lie in environmental factors young people have been exposed to more than previous generations. While no 'smoking gun' has been found, there are multiple theories. These include modern chemicals in diets, microplastics, pollution, and one recent study even pinned the surge on exposure to in food. There are around 2,600 new bowel cancer cases in people aged 25-49 in Britain every year, and around 44,100 new cases among all ages. Around 44,000 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK, with about 130,000 in the US. The disease kills almost 17,000 Britons each year, with the death toll rising to about 50,000 in America. Overall, just over half of bowel cancer patients are expected to be alive 10 years after their diagnosis. More than £15,000 was raised in Mr Ingram-Baldwin's drive for alternative treatments. Mrs Ingram-Baldwin has now confirmed the amount would now be re-funded to donors. She urged people to consider donating the money to charity or using it to 'make memories with your families'.
