NICE to Reconsider Approving Lung Cancer Drug
Patients with lung cancer may yet receive a treatment aimed at extending life expectancy after the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) pledged to reconsider its previous ruling on the drug, in which cost factors precluded approval being given for its use on the National Health Service.
The drug in question, Tarceva, is designed to be taken once a day, and is intended for patients with non-small cell lung cancer on whom previous treatments have proved ineffective. In trials, Tarceva was observed as potentially increasing the chance of patients living on for 12 months (or longer) post-treatment by 40 per cent more than placebo. On a two year scale, the survival chance dropped to 15 per cent.
Despite this, earlier on in 2007, NICE ruled that Tarceva did not represent good value for money, in comparison to the current generation of lung cancer treatments such as Docetaxel.
A course of treatment involving Tarceva costs £6,800 – or £1,600 on a monthly basis.
Consequently, a number of charity groups appealed against the ruling – these including the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation and Cancerbackup. Among the other groups involved were Roche – the manufacturers of Tarceva – as well as the Association of Cancer Physicians and the Royal College of Physicians.
The foundation of their complaint was the apparent oversight made by NICE in failing to factor issues of indirectly-related cost into their decision, which, in their eyes, nullified the Tarceva value-for-money claims. Specifically, they highlighted how Tarceva generated less in the way of side effects than Docetaxel.
While, in Scotland, Tarceva has been fully approved, the ultimate ruling in respect of England and Wales will be made by NICE, it is currently understood, in 2008.
Pharmaceutical International will provide unrivalled coverage of the very latest news to emerge as soon as we get the facts.
Source – Pharmaceutical International’s Research and Development Analyst
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