1st May 2008 11:02
Not for distribution to the US Media
Shire welcomes the Court of Appeal's decision that NICE review of Alzheimer's drugs was procedurally unfair
Basingstoke, UK - 1st May 2008 - Shire plc , the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, welcomes the Court of Appeal's decision that procedural fairness does require release of the fully executable version of the model on which NICE based its decision to restrict access on the NHS to drugs used for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, which includes Shire's products Reminyl‚® and Reminyl‚® XL (galantamine hydrobromide).
The Court decided that NICE's failure to disclose the fully executable version of the model put consultees, including Shire, at a significant disadvantage in challenging the reliability of the model. In that respect it limits their ability to make an intelligent response on something that is central to the appraisal process.
The Court has deferred its decision in relation to relief pending the parties having the opportunity to consider the judgment and agree a solution. This is now under active consideration. Shire looks forward to receiving the fully executable version and making representation on it.
Current NICE guidance denies access, on cost effective grounds, to drugs on the NHS to newly diagnosed patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.
For further information please contact:
Media Jessica Mann (Rest of the World) +44 1256 894 280 Matthew Cabrey (North America) +1 484 595 8248 Notes to editorsSHIRE PLC
Shire's strategic goal is to become the leading specialty biopharmaceutical company that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist physician. Shire focuses its business on attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), human genetic therapies (HGT), gastrointestinal (GI) and renal diseases. The structure is sufficiently flexible to allow Shire to target new therapeutic areas to the extent opportunities arise through acquisitions. Shire's in-licensing, merger and acquisition efforts are focused on products in niche markets with strong intellectual property protection either in the US or Europe. Shire believes that a carefully selected portfolio of products with strategically aligned and relatively small-scale sales forces will deliver strong results.
For further information on Shire, please visit the Company's website: www.shire.com.
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