Thursday, November 10, 2011

UK cost body NICE rules against AstraZeneca's breast cancer drug Faslodex | Reuters

Nov 10 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca's breast cancer drug Faslodex has been rejected for use on Britain's state health service, dealing a blow to a product that has been on the market in Europe since 2004.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said on Thursday in its final appraisal that it had not found any evidence Faslodex worked significantly better than existing treatments, so its widespread use would not be a good use of resources.

AstraZeneca had estimated Faslodex, an injection, could extend life when compared to using the company's own aromatase inhibitor tablets Arimidex or Novartis's Femara, but NICE found this to be "considerably uncertain".

The first month of Faslodex treatment costs 1,044.82 pounds ($1,666), on account of the additional loading dose, and 522.41 pounds a month thereafter, according to NICE.

A month's supply of anastrozole, the active ingredient in Arimidex, which is now off patent, costs just 5.99 pounds and Femara is priced at 84.86 pounds.

Posted via email from Jack's posterous

No comments: