ZAGREB, April 15, 2018 – Spinraza, a drug used in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), will be put on the list of medicines provided by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) next week while clinical trials with this new medicine will begin in Zagreb’s KBC Hospital on April 17 and will include 23 SMA patients, Health Minister Milan Kujundžić announced.
“Spinraza has been put into procedure after the company applied and we have accelerated the procedure. I think that it could be put on the HZZO list of medicines next week,” the minister said.
With regard to Roche’s SMA medication, the management at the KBC Hospital confirmed that they would begin treating young patients as of April 17, Kujundžić said.
He added that the hospital had records of which patients met the criteria to be included in a clinical study to test Roche’s medication and that it would include patients up to the age of 25 and that some patients over the age of 18 would be included.
“The study will continue for a year and then after that if we see that it has a positive effect, treatment with the medication will be free of charge over the following four years,” Kujundžić explained.
Four children have already been put on the treatment with Spinraza and they will continue with therapy. Other patients who won’t be included in the clinical study for Roche’s medication will be treated with Spinraza if they meet the relevant criteria.
