NICE recommends first I-O drug for urothelial carcinoma when platinum-containing chemo fails

Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) Keytruda (pembrolizumab) has been recommended for patients in England and Wales within the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) as an option for treating locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma in adults who have had platinum-containing chemotherapy.

Inclusion in the CDF shows that the National Institute for Care and Health Excellence (NICE) considers that Keytruda has potential to satisfy the criteria for routine use on the National Health Service (NHS) for this group of bladder cancer patients but needs more investigation, through data collection in the NHS in clinical practice or from further research, before making a final decision on routine commissioning.

In November 2017, the NICE ruled that Roche’s Tecentriq (atezolizumab) was not a cost-effective option for people with urothelial cancer who had already had chemotherapy, as did the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC). In January of this year, the SMC published guidance which did not recommend Bristol-Myers Squibb's (NYSE: BMY) Opdivo (nivolumab) for the treatment of urothelial carcinoma after failure of prior platinum-containing therapy.