NICE Gives Nod to One Cancer Drug, Balks at Two Others

The UK’s drug pricing watchdog has recommended that the National Health Service reimburse Pfizer lung cancer drug Xalkori, while rejecting to refund Novartis’ breast cancer therapy Everolimus and Janssen’s non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma drug Imbruvica.

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence concluded that Xalkori, the first pill for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, improved progression-free survival and would serve as valuable treatment option for patients faced with an incurable cancer.

The recommendation stipulates that Pfizer must lower the cost of Xalkori, which is $6,166 per 60 capsules, to an undisclosed discount price.

Even with a discount, NICE said Novartis’ Everolimus “did not have plausible potential to be cost effective” for the treatment of HER2-negative breast cancer that has progressed after treatment with a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor. The current price of Everolimus is $3,514 for a 30-pack of 10 mg tablets.