Effective January 1 2012, the Seretide salmeterol xinafoate/fluticasone propionate Accuhaler 100 will cost £18 in the UK, a reduction of 42%. The price reduction is expected to save the National Health Service (NHS) £6.9 million per year.
GSK suggests that the move, which equalizes pricing for the Accuhaler 100 and the Evohaler 50, “removes cost as a potential consideration in the prescribing decision, allowing either treatment option to be prescribed based on clinical judgment and patient preference” and says that it “hopes that in the current cost-contained environment, a price reduction will allow more patients to access this medicine.”
The company also notes that, “Seretide Accuhaler 100 is now competitively priced compared to other ICS/LABA combinations at the equivalent dose, supporting healthcare professionals to get the most from their respiratory budget.” According to GSK, a comparable Symbicort inhaler costs £19, and a comparable Fostair beclamethasone/formoterol inhaler is priced at £14.66.
GSK UK Respiratory Medical Director Sally Taylor said, “This change is part of our ongoing commitment to deliver medicines of value to the NHS. We also hope that this move will help facilitate the implementation of the BTS/SIGN Guideline for the treatment of asthma, such that patients are started on the lowest appropriate dose and that therapy is stepped down once asthma is controlled.”
Distribution of the press release was restricted to the UK medical trade media.
