Gourmet pharmaceutical companies lose legal battle against the NHS at an additional cost of £ 84 million to help save the sight of patients

The NHS won a historic legal battle against two "greedy" pharmaceutical giants who sued him for prescribing a cheaper version of their drugs.

Doctors say that millions of taxpayers' money can now be spared after the dispute over the technicality of the license and the best drugs to combat a common condition that can cause blindness.

The High Court ruling comes after doctors in the north of England began prescribing a drug called Avastin for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) after it proved it had the same impact but was 30 years old. times cheaper.

Novartis, the drug giant that markets its rival drug, Lucentis, and Bayer, which markets another licensed drug for the disease called Eylea, have filed a lawsuit.

The victory of 12 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in the north of England means that Avastin can be widely prescribed, saving the NHS about 84 million pounds.

Novartis and Bayer manufacture the two most expensive licensed drugs: Lucentis, which costs £ 561 and Eylea, which costs £ 800. But Avastin costs around £ 28 per injection. Avastin is widely used in the United States.

GPs claimed that they had to deny patients procedures such as cataracts and hip replacements because the funds needed were spent on the most expensive drugs.

Dr. David Hambleton, General Manager CCG South Tyneside, said: "The drug is undeniably, just as effective and much less expensive. The money that will save will exceed £ 13.5 million a year for the 12 GCCs involved in this litigation alone and hundreds of millions of pounds across the country.

"It can be reinvested in providing the best possible care to our patients.

"Here in the North, it's enough to pay 270 additional nurses or 266 heart transplants each year and in a financially tense NHS that could change the lives of thousands of our patients."

About 600,000 people in the UK currently suffer from vision loss caused by AMD and approximately 70,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. It usually strikes people in their fifties and sixties.

More than a decade ago, doctors discovered that an anti-cancer drug, Avastin, was just as good at a fraction of the price.

However, as the drug is originally licensed to treat cancer and not wet AMD, rival companies have tried to argue that doctors violate the NHS rules. Even so, doctors gave patients the option of using all three drugs and only prescribed Avastin if patients chose it.

Tony O'Sullivan, President of Keep Our NHS Public, said, "I welcome this decision that has been hard won to fight the greed of these companies.

"The underlying problem is the weakness of a fragmented national health system under the 2012 legislative changes introduced by the government.

"The NHS ended in April 2013 as a national organization and 211 new CCGs had to conduct separate fights. The NHS has lost its tremendous collective bargaining power for the purchase of medicines and equipment.

"We must put an end to the fragmentation of the NHS and the privatization of its management, and give priority to patients".

A spokesman for Bayer said, "The decision puts drug costs at the forefront of the clinical judgment and expertise of physicians, as well as the regulatory assessment of quality, efficacy and efficacy. drug safety.

"The costs of treating patients with wet AMD and preserving the eyesight far outweigh the price of the drug.

"A service using this product may increase the number of visits and clinical injections the patient needs to monitor his condition and / or to prevent trauma, which puts more pressure on NHS services. Bayer believes this decision is a setback for public health.

Helen Lee, policy officer at the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), said: "We know that some patients are permanently losing their vision due to delayed or canceled appointments, with services struggling to do so. face the demand.

"Any savings generated by the supply of Avastin rather than licensed anti-VEGF drugs must be invested in eye care services."

The 12 CCGs involved in the legal battle were Northumberland, Newcastle Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Darlington, Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield, North Durham, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees, North Cumbria, Sunderland, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby . and South Tees.

Dr. David Hambleton added, "It is fair to offer our patients this choice because the beneficiaries will be their friends, neighbors and family members."

A Novartis spokesperson said: "Novartis is deeply disappointed with this decision and remains of the opinion that this policy undermines the well-established legal and regulatory framework that protects patient safety and allows health professionals to prescribe in a comprehensive manner. trust. .

"The public has confidence in this system and should not be put at risk just to save money.

"We believe the decision undermines the role of regulators in determining which drugs meet this minimum standard before being made available to the public."