Novartis MS drug wins FDA's blessing amid scrutiny of $88,000 annual price

Novartis has priced the treatment at $88,000 annually, head of pharmaceuticals Paul Hudson told Reuters, a level exceeding some other MS drugs and one that may draw scrutiny from payers. Mayzent was approved for adults with relapsing forms of the disease, including clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease (SPMS), the FDA said. The drug's cost will likely attract attention, as the independent Boston-based group Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has already suggested in a draft report that Mayzent, at the Novartis price, likely far exceeds levels generally thought to be cost-effective.