UK’s NICE Rejects Opdivo and Yervoy Combo for Lung Cancer

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a preliminary rejection of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab) as a combination treatment for lung cancer in as-yet untreated patients.

NICE said that clinical trial evidence suggests people who receive the Opdivo/Yervoy regimen live longer than those who have platinum-doublet chemotherapy — but it is uncertain how long the effect lasts and whether people given the combination treatment live longer depending on their PD-L1 status and the type of NSCLC they have.

NICE concluded that the cost-effectiveness estimates for the combination compared with platinum-based chemotherapy are higher than what it considers acceptable for use by the National Health Service.

The institute has invited comments by April 26 and said it may change its recommendations when its appraisal committee meets to consider the responses and prepare the final appraisal document.