NICE Recommends Drug Combination for Ovarian Cancer

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended AstraZeneca’s Lynparza (olaparib) combined with Roche’s Avastin (bevacizumab) for use by the National Health Service for women with ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer.

The combination is an option for patients who have had a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy and Avastin as first-line treatment, and the type of cancer must test positive for homologous recombination deficiency.

NICE said study results showed the combination therapy increased survival before disease progression vs. placebo plus Avastin, from 17.7 months to 37.2 months. But it noted that the results were inconclusive about whether the combination increases overall survival.