NICE says case for Opdivo to treat lung cancer is not clear cut

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has asked Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) to set out a case for including its Opdivo (nivolumab) in the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).

The medicines cost-effectiveness watchdog for England and Wales NICE’s appraisal committee concluded that nivolumab was not cost-effective for all patients with squamous and non-squamous advanced non-small-cell lung cancer but it did appear to benefit some more than others. The appraisal committee agreed that it was important to explore this benefit.

In trials, people taking nivolumab who had more PD-L1 on their cancer cells lived up to seven months longer than those with less. The committee have asked Bristol-Myers Squibb to make their case to include nivolumab in the CDF so more information can be gathered on its cost-effectiveness in patients with tumour PD-L1 levels of 10% or more.