Johnson & Johnson announced on 6/13/2018 that the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published positive guidance for Tremfya® (guselkumab), following its positive Final Appraisal Determination delivered on 2 May 2018. This means that adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis will now have access to guselkumab through the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales.

Additionally, on 17 May 2018, Germany’s drug reimbursement body, The Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss; G-BA) published its decision stating that guselkumab offered “substantial additional therapeutic benefits” compared to treatment with comparators for all patient populations assessed.3 This is the first time a biologic treatment for psoriasis has been awarded this level of benefit.

Dr Jaime Oliver, Medical Lead for Janssen Immunology, EMEA said: “The swift decision by two of Europe’s key Health Technology Assessment bodies reflects the positive results demonstrated in clinical studies of guselkumab for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Psoriasis can be a painful, debilitating condition with severe psychological repercussions, often causing patients to feel self-conscious, isolated and depressed. Providing a new therapeutic option may help to alleviate some of the physical and emotional burden of this disease. We are therefore working hard to ensure that eligible patients in Europe can access guselkumab as quickly as possible.”

Tremfya is the first biologic to selectively target interleukin (IL)-23, a key protein that initiates a specific immune inflammatory response in psoriasis. Guselkumab may offer patients both effective and sustained control of this debilitating disease which affects approximately 14 million people across Europe.