NICE Denies Pfizer’s Xalkori for Routine NHS Use in Cancer Treatment

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence rejected Pfizer’s lung cancer medication Xalkori for recommended routine NHS use in lung cancer treatment, recommending instead that the drug participate in the Cancer Drugs Fund.

The U.K. agency did not recommend Xalkori (crizotinib) as a routine-use drug for treating ROS1-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer, finding the drug had questionable cost-effectiveness for previously treated patients. It also did not clear the drug for patients who have not yet received treatment.

Instead, the agency recommended the drug be enrolled in the CDF to contribute clinical data on the demographics of ROS1-positive patients, treatment length and survival benefit, agreeing that the drug is a promising treatment for individuals with ROS1-positive advanced NSCLC.