Once Daily JYSELECA ®▼ (filgotinib) Made Available on the NHS across Scotland for People with Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis

Once Daily JYSELECA ®▼ (filgotinib) Made Available on the NHS across Scotland for People with Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis

- Around 37,000 people across Scotland live with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)1 of which approximately 11,000 have severe disease activity2, where painful symptoms can chronically affect a patient’s life3

Cambridge, UK, 13 September 2021 – Galapagos UK, today welcomed the decision from the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) to recommend, JYSELECA® (filgotinib), a once-daily, oral, JAK1 preferential inhibitor, for use on the NHS across Scotland for the treatment of eligible adult patients with severe active RA.4 Filgotinib has been shown to significantly increase the proportion of patients with active RA going into remission, when their symptoms considerably decrease or disappear, compared to currently available therapies. Across the three pivotal phase 3 studies between 26 - 54% of people with moderate-to-severe RA achieved remission by DAS28 (CRP) <2.6 with filgotinib* after 24 weeks compared to 12 - 36% of people given other therapies.5,6,7 The addition of filgotinib as an option for Scottish people with RA allows more people to have a chance of reducing the debilitating symptoms of this disease and slowing the long-term, irreversible damage it can cause.5

“Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory arthritis and affects around 35,000 people in Scotland. said Dr Neil McKay, Consultant Rheumatologist at NHS Lothian. It affects multiple joints causing pain, stiffness and disability. It can also cause disabling fatigue. Modern management requires a prompt referral, early diagnosis and intensive management. Yet some people with RA require targeted combination therapy to control their condition. Having access to an advanced targeted therapy like filgotinib, at a relatively early stage, is an important and welcome step forward for people with RA.”

“Galapagos welcomes the decision from the SMC to make filgotinib available to those with severe rheumatoid arthritis in Scotland and will be working with our partners across the health service to ensure eligible patients have access without delay,” said Emma Chaffin, General Manager at Galapagos UK & Ireland. “We believe this is important news for thousands of people living with this devasting condition. We are also mindful that people with moderate rheumatoid arthritis will unfortunately not have the same level of access to filgotinib in Scotland as they currently do elsewhere in the UK, where the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued guidance for use in moderate patients. We are exploring all options open to us to resolve this and our priority continues to be ensuring that all people with rheumatoid arthritis are able to access the best care and support they need for their condition.”

As part of its submission to the SMC, Galapagos included a robust clinical and economic data package supporting filgotinib in people with RA who have moderate disease. However, the SMC has not recommended use in this population. Galapagos is currently in discussion with SMC about future access to filgotinib for adult patients with moderate RA, in line with the rest of the UK.

Filgotinib is licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients who have responded inadequately to, or who are intolerant to one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).5