UK launch for Nordic’s novel methotrexate pen

Nordic Pharma has launched Nordimet - the first button-free, once-weekly PEN device containing the active substance methotrexate - across the UK, offering patients with various auto-immune conditions a new means of administering treatment with a Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug (DMARD).

According to the firm, the new button-free design removes the need for patients, who may have painful joints, to press a button to administer their injection, and Nordimet also has an innovative double-click mechanism that audibly clicks and gently vibrates at the start and at the end of the injection to give patients confidence that a full dose has been administered.

Nordic points to findings from a study of 149 nurses showing that 87 percent found the PEN device easy to operate, with 86 percent stating their patients would find this mechanism easier to use than a button-activated device.

Also, in a separate piece of research involving patients with RA cited by the firm, 100 percent (18) said they preferred the new, methotrexate button free device and found it easier to control over existing devices, which could be advantageous with regard to treatment adherence.

Furthermore, on the economic side, Nordimet currently represents a cost saving of 10 percent versus the most widely used alternative methotrexate self-injection pen (based on NHS List Prices), which could give the product a further competitive edge.

"Very often bringing new medicines to the market is not about re-inventing the wheel, but optimising something in existence. Taking an established treatment like methotrexate for instance and providing it in a device to help improve patients’ experience with treatment," said Tony Bratt, general manager, Nordic Pharmaceuticals UK.

"The arrival of the new Nordimet, pre-filled and button-free injection device is a most welcome addition to treatment choice for patients requiring parenteral delivery of methotrexate," noted Professor Peter Taylor, Norman Collison Professor of musculoskeletal sciences at the University of Oxford and the head of Clinical Sciences at the Botnar Research Centre.

"It enables easy administration, even for patients with severe hand pain or disability with a design that ensures the peace of mind that the full dose has been successfully given."