NICE positive verdict on Abraxane in pancreatic cancer

UK medicines cost effectiveness  watchdog  the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued final technology appraisal guidance recommending the use of Abraxane (nab paclitaxel) in combination with gemcitabine, in eligible patients, for the first-line treatment of a type of metastatic pancreatic cancer, known as metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC).

According to the drug’s maker, US biotech major Celgene (Nasdaq: CELG), this decision means that no appeals have been received against the Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) and nab-paclitaxel in combination with gemcitabine is now an option for mPDAC adult patients in England via the NHS when other combination chemotherapies are unsuitable and they would otherwise have gemcitabine monotherapy.

Dr Stephen Falk, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust and Chair of the NCRI Pancreatic Cancer Subgroup comments: “Metastatic pancreatic cancer has an average life expectancy of two to six months post diagnosis, and this has shown minimal improvement in the last 40 years. The clinical community welcomes this recommendation of nab-paclitaxel in combination with gemcitabine for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer from NICE, which provides an alternative treatment option for appropriate patients in this area of unmet need. I also welcome the potential of extra survival this regimen may offer to the right patient compared to gemcitabine alone.”