NICE now recommends Merck's new lung cancer drug

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued draft guidance that recommends new drug pembrolizumab for some people with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. The drug is marketed by Merck, Sharp & Dohme), the non-USA/Canada trading name of Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK), under the trade name Keytruda.

“People with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer have had limited treatment options so it is great that pembrolizumab will now be routinely available. The company put forward a fairly priced proposal that reflected the benefits their drug offered,” commented Professor Carole Longson, director of the cost-effectiveness watchdog for England and Wales’ Centre for Health Technology Evaluation.

“If companies work with us to price drugs reasonably and manage any uncertainties in the evidence base, we can continue to recommend patients have routine access to the treatments they need,” she added.