NICE backs Vectibix for MCC in previously untreated patients

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) recommending US biotech major Amgen’s (Nasdaq: AMGN) Vectibix (panitumumab) as an option for patients with previously untreated, RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (MCC) in adults in combination with the FOLFOX or FOLFIRI chemotherapy regimes.

The NICE, the medicines cost-effectiveness watchdog for England and Wales, evaluated the clinical and cost-effectiveness of panitumumab and cetuximab in the Multiple Technology Appraisal (MTA) and concluded that both are cost-effective use of National Health Service resources.

Richard Wilson, Professor of Cancer Medicine at Queen's University Belfast, said: "The overall 5-year survival rate for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer is around 10 percent, highlighting the need for targeted treatments like panitumumab to help patients. The assessment from NICE reinforces the importance of panitumumab with chemotherapy for patients in clinical practice, particularly for shrinking tumour tissue for surgical resection and slowing disease progression, which prolongs life and improves both symptoms and quality of life."