UK NICE APPROVES ABIRATERONE FOR PROSTATE CANCER 

May 16, 2012 — The novel prostate cancer drug abiraterone (Zytiga, Janssen) will be available under the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales after all, following a U-turn by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).

A draft guidance issued by NICE in February, which concluded that the drug was too expensive, provoked a public outcry, especially because early work on the drug's development had been conducted in the United Kingdom and was funded with public donations to Cancer Research UK.

After consultations that have taken place since then, the manufacturer has offered a discount on the price of the drug (previously around £3000 per month). The company has agreed to a patient-access scheme with the Department of Health that "involves a single confidential discount applied to the list price," according to aguidance document issued today. A final decision is expected in June.

In addition to offering a discount, the company submitted information on which patients would benefit most, and clarified how many patients could receive the drug, chief executive of NICE, Sir Andrew Dillon, said in a statement.

"These factors enabled the committee to revise its preliminary recommendations and now recommend the drug for use on the NHS," he said.

Abiraterone is "an effective treatment, potentially extending life by more than 3 months; it also allows patients to be treated at home, as it can be taken orally," he added.

"This is wonderful news for patients with advanced prostate cancer; in part, this U-turn is down to the public's disappointment at the initial refusal," said Harpal Kumar, PhD, chief executive of Cancer Research UK.

NICE Refuses Cabazitaxel

However, another new drug for prostate cancer has been given a definitive "no" from NICE. Cabazitaxel (Jevtana, sanofi-aventis) is not considered a cost-effective use of NHS resources, and an appeal from the manufacturer against the decision was squashed. A full explanation of the data that were considered and how the decision was reached was published online May 11 in the Lancet Oncology.