National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) OKs Bristol Arthritis Drug After Price Cut

In a change of tack, Britain's healthcare cost watchdog NICE has recommended the use of Bristol-Myers Squibb's rheumatoid arthritis drug Orencia by the state health service following a price discount. The move is the latest example of drugmakers having to cut deals with health authorities in Europe in order to ensure their medicines are used, even after they have been approved as safe and effective. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said on Thursday it now supported giving the biotech drug to patients whose disease had not responded adequately to conventional non-biological medicines.