NICE backs new targeted treatment for advanced breast cancer patients

UK health technology assessor the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended the use of Piqray (alpelisib) for use in combination with fulvestrant for the treatment of postmenopausal women, and men, with hormone receptor positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2), locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer with a PIK3CA mutation after disease progression following endocrine-based therapy.

This is welcome news for Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX), given that in April this year the NICE declined to recommend Piqray for use on the National Health Service in this indication.

Nicolò Battisti, medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, says that the NICE’s recommendation is an important development in the treatment of advanced breast cancer, an area where there is an urgent need for innovation to improve clinical and patient outcomes. Targeted therapies addressing genomic mutations such as PIK3CA mutations are advancing the treatment options we have available for our patients. Considering alpelisib involves identifying this specific genomic biomarker via a test, determining who is eligible for this new treatment option and potentially giving them a chance to live longer and live well in the context of an advanced breast cancer diagnosis.”