BRIEF—NICE backs Seagen's Tukysa for breast cancer

On Friday, UK health technology assessor the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended that US biotech Seagen's Tukysa (tucatinib), in combination with Herceptin (trastuzumab) and capecitabine, be made available for advanced, previously treated, HER2-positive breast cancer patients on the National Health Service (NHS).

The latest  draft guidance is a reversal of the NICE's October 2021 decision against the Tukysa combination in this setting.

The list price is £5,636.84 ($7,568.61) per 84-pack of 150mg film-coated tablets (excluding VAT; BNF online accessed February 2022). The average cost of a course of combination treatment at list prices is £7,016.91 for the loading dose and £6,677.14 for the following cycles (company submission). The company has a commercial arrangement (simple discount patient access scheme). This makes tucatinib available to the NHS with a discount.

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) granted marketing authorization in Great Britain for Tukysa in the proposed indication and combination in February last year.