The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released a draft scope of the Health Technology Evaluation (HTA) for the use of povorcitinib as a treatment for moderate-to-severe active hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) after a TNF-alpha inhibitor. 

Through the evaluation, NICE aims to appraise the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the treatment within its marketing authorisation.

The complete evaluation will consider multiple outcome measures, including disease severity, disease progression, clinical response and adverse effects of treatment, as well as providing an economic analysis. 

Also known as acne inversa or Verneuil’s disease, HS is a long-term and painful skin condition caused by hair follicles connected to sweat glands becoming blocked, leading to the formation of pus-filled abscesses. 

Currently, the project is in progress and undergoing a consultation period, allowing comments to be made on the suggested remit, draft scope and provisional stakeholder list.  

The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) has submitted a stakeholder comment form in response to the draft scope, with the organisation stating that a Single Technology Appraisal (STA) is appropriate. 

BAD also commented that there is a high level of urgency for the evaluation due to the number of people affected and the current lack of NICE-approved therapies. 

There are currently two therapies, adalimumab and secukinumab, recommended by NICE for HS. In the draft scope, secukinumab is listed as a comparator to povorcitinib. 

According to the NICE draft scope, the condition affects around 1% of people in the UK, with an estimated 580,000 people in England living with the condition.

Also noted by BAD is the need for prevention of disease progression to reduce the possibility of scarring, a result of HS that can limit patients’ ability to work or study, require extensive surgery to reverse and contribute to a mental health burden related to the condition.