A SECOND pharmaceutical firm is appealing against a High Court ruling which could lead to the NHS saving of hundreds of millions of pounds a year.

Last month, a judge in London rejected an action brought by Bayer and Novartis against 12 NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in the region relating to a drug to treat the biggest cause of age-related vision loss in the UK, known as wet age-related macular degeneration.

Novartis have now joined Bayer in confirming they are seeking permission to appeal against the decision.

The condition currently affects tens of thousands of people in the UK and is currently treated using either Lucentis, sold by Novartis, or Eylea, sold by Bayer.

The pharmaceutical giants tried to stop 12 CCGs in the North of England from offering the choice of an ‘undeniably effective and less expensive’ alternative treatment.

The decision means that patients across the country can also be offered Avastin as an alternative - a drug around 30 times cheaper than the most expensive alternative.

A spokesperson for Novartis said: "Today, people living with wet AMD are now being asked to compromise on the assured quality and safety of their treatment, purely on the basis of cost. This is inappropriate and unnecessary.

"In the future, on the basis of this judgment, it may be people living with cancer, diabetes, or any other long-term condition being asked to compromise on the quality and safety of their treatments."