Friday, March 09, 2007

Roche - Tarceva: not so NICE

Roche is fuming over the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's decision not to allow its lung cancer drug Tarceva to be made available on the National Health Service in England and Wales and is going to appeal.

The Switzerland-based drugs giant said that the proposed guidance by NICE not to approve Tarceva (erlotinib), launched in the UK in September 2005 to treat non-small cell lung cancer in patients who have failed at least one prior chemotherapy regimen, is "particularly disappointing as it has already been accepted as being clinically and cost effective" by the Scottish Medicines Consortium in June last year.

Roche added that it will appeal on the basis that "the evidence submitted has been assessed neither fairly nor appropriately and that the proposed guidance as it stands is perverse in the light of the evidence made available to the NICE Appraisal Committee."

However NICE chief executive Andrew Dillon defended the decision, and said that after considering all the evidence available, as well as the comments received during consultation on the earlier draft, "the independent appraisal committee concluded that erlotinib is not an effective use of NHS resources when compared with either docetaxel or best supportive care."

When launched in 2005, Tarceva cost over £1,600 for one month's treatment.He said that the committee was also concerned that Tarceva would not be as effective as the existing standard treatment, docetaxel" but added that "given the rapidly changing evidence base for erlotinib," the guidance should be considered for early review in February 2008. Mr Dillon also recommended that further research be undertaken into subgroups for whom erlotinib may provide greater benefit."

Sourcr: PharmaTimes

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