What has SMC said?
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted elafibranor, for treating adults with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). PBC is an autoimmune condition which results in the gradual destruction of bile ducts in the liver, leading to liver failure. Elafibranor is used together with another medicine, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) to treat patients where UDCA has not worked well enough by itself, and on its own in patients who cannot take UDCA.
This document summarises the SMC decision and what it means for patients.
You can find more detailed information about the SMC assessment of elafibranor by looking at the SMC Detailed Advice Document (SMC2714).
What does SMC’s decision mean for patients?
Elafibranor for use as described above is available for prescribing on the NHS in Scotland. Your healthcare professional can discuss with you if it is the right treatment for you.
You can find more information about making decisions about your treatment in this booklet called: Medicines in Scotland: What’s the right treatment for me?
More about SMC’s decision
SMC’s decision takes into account a confidential discount offered by the pharmaceutical company.
How does SMC make its decision?
SMC carefully considers every new medicine to make sure it benefits patients and is likely to be a good use of NHS resources.
To do this SMC studies the following:
- Evidence from the company about how well the medicine works compared with current treatments available in Scotland, in relation to how much they will cost to buy and use to treat patients.
- The potential impact of the medicine on patients and carers.
- Advice from healthcare professionals about any benefits of the new medicine compared to current treatment, along with how the new medicine is likely to be used.
When SMC assesses a medicine it takes account of the needs of all patients in NHSScotland, not only those who may be treated with the medicine.
You can find out more about how SMC decides here: https://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/how-we-decide/
More information and support
Further information, advice and support for patients with primary biliary cholangitis and their families and carers can be found through the NHS website:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/primary-biliary-cholangitis-pbc/
You can find out more about elafibranor (brand name: Iqirvo®) in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) by searching for the medicine name on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) website.