Advice - reimburse benralizumab (Fasenra®) for the treatment of severe asthma
The National Health Care Institute has advised the Minister for Medical Care to reimburse benralizumab (Fasenra®) from the basic health care package for pharmaceutical care. This medicinal product can be used in certain patients with a form of severe asthma. If the Minister adopts our advice, benralizumab will be included in the Medicine Reimbursement System (GVS). Only then will this medicinal product be reimbursed from the health care insurer's basic health care package. We do recommend additional conditions for reimbursement.
Benralizumab is intended for certain people with severe asthma
Benralizumab is the active substance. The brand name is Fasenra®. The medicine is an injection given under the skin (subcutaneously) every 4 or 8 weeks.
The medicinal product can be used in people with a certain form of severe asthma. By severe asthma, we mean when people with asthma have at least 2 asthma attacks a year, despite using 1 or more inhalers that dilate the airways or inhibit inflammation. Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease. The airways consist of the lungs, trachea, throat and nose. The medicinal product is specifically intended for severe eosinophilic asthma. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cells. In people with eosinophilic asthma, too many of these white blood cells are present in the blood. They cause inflammation and swelling in the airways. Benralizumab is a so-called biological. Biologicals are biological medicinal products. They are called this because they are made from proteins of living organisms. For example from bacteria, fungi or cells of plants or animals. There are many different types of biological medicinal products, but in the Netherlands, biologicals are usually defined as medicinal products that inhibit inflammation.
Advice from the National Health Care Institute on the reimbursement of benralizumab
The National Health Care Institute advises the Minister for Medical Care to reimburse benralizumab (Fasenra®) under certain conditions from the basic health care package for pharmaceutical care. The advice is to include the medicinal product on List 1A, in a new cluster with tezepelumab (Tezspire®). For benralizumab, the standard dose is set at 0.54 mg and for tezepelumab at 7.50 mg. Certain additional conditions, the so-called List 2 conditions, apply for benralizumab.
For more information on the GVS and the Lists 1A, 1B and 2, see page ‘Reimbursement of extramural drugs (GVS)’.
Conditions for the reimbursement of benralizumab
More information or questions?
If you have any questions about this advice, please send your question to the National Health Care Institute via warcg@zinl.nl. If you have questions about the reimbursement of a medicinal product, the personal expenses or whether you should pay a contribution, please ask your health insurance provider.
How did the advice come about?
The National Health Care Institute advises the Minister. The Minister makes the final decision whether or not to reimburse the medication from the basic health care package.
Explanation about the reimbursement of medicinal products
Benralizumab is an outpatient medicinal product. Outpatient means: medicines for home use that can be obtained at the pharmacy with a prescription from a physician. They are only reimbursed from the basic health care package if they are listed in the GVS.