NICE Gives Thumbs Up to 5 Drugs, Frowns on Another

The UK’s reimbursement watchdog has given its blessing to five treatments — four for cancer and one for a lung disease — recommending they be funded by the National Health Service, while frowning on Lilly’s stomach cancer drug.

Most notably, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence reversed its preliminary decision not to reimburse Novartis’ multiple myeloma treatment Farydak. The agency changed course after Novartis submitted a revised economic analysis, and NICE recommended reimbursing the drug as long as it is provided with the agreed-upon discount in the patient access scheme.

NICE gave the thumbs down to Eli Lilly’s stomach cancer drug Cyramza, contending that its benefit doesn’t justify its high cost, and that it also did not qualify for end of life considerations.