In a first for the UK health system, Pfizer and its marketing partner, Eisai, are taking the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, or NICE, to court next month over the agency’s decision to ban Alzheimer’s drugs for newly diagnosed National Health Service patients. The court date has been fast-tracked and is set for June 25.

NICE believes drugs like Aricept don’t make enough of a difference to be used at all stages of Alzheimer’s disease. In the future, the government watchdog wants such meds to be prescribed only for a minority of patients with a moderately severe diagnosis.

Anti-cholinesterase drugs such as Aricept can help but not cure some Alzheimer’s patients. They are widely used in other countries, such as the US, but NICE experts calculate that the cost - around $1,994 per patient a year - means they are not cost-effective for most patients.

Hmm….yes, it’s a litigous world, but what’s next? Will a drugmaker go to court if a government agency declines to approve a drug?

Source: Reuters[tags]Aricept, Eisai, NICE, Pfizer[/tags]