NICE Rebuffs Reimbursement of Pfizer’s Ibrance Cancer Drug

The UK’s drug pricing watchdog is recommending that the National Health Service not reimburse Pfizer’s breast cancer drug Ibrance.

In a draft appraisal, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said the drug is too expensive given that its potential benefits to overall survival could not be quantified from clinical trials.

NICE acknowledged that Ibrance stalled cancer growth by 10 months on average, but said more evidence is needed on the drug’s effect on overall survival to determine whether the drug could be a cost-effective treatment.