Verona Pharma’s ensifentrine treatment for COPD — a maintenance treatment which is still awaiting FDA approval — could improve outcomes for patients with COPD when coupled with maintenance therapy. That’s according to an evidence report recently issued by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER).
“Current evidence shows that ensifentrine decreases exacerbations when used in combination with some current inhaled therapies and is well-tolerated by patients,” said ICER Chief Medical Officer David Rind, MD. “But there are uncertainties about how much benefit it may add to unstudied combinations of inhaled treatments.”
Ensifentrine is a selective dual inhibitor of the enzymes phosphodiesterase 3 and 4 that combine bronchodilator and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory activities in one compound. If approved, it would be the first novel mechanism for the treatment of COPD in 10 years.
ICER’s review stated that there is “high certainty” that ensifentrine added to maintenance therapy — compared with maintenance therapy alone — results in at least a small net health benefit and may result in a substantial net health benefit. There is greater certainty in the benefits when ensefentrine is added to the regimens studied in the clinical trials than when added to optimized modern inhaler therapies for COPD.
The report also said that, while a price for the drug, if approved, has not yet been announced by the manufacturer, it estimates the health-benefit price benchmark for ensifentrine to be between $7,500 and $12,700 per year.
