Pharmaceutical In a third rejection for the Swiss drug major Roche within a matter of weeks, the UK National Health service watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), on Friday issued a negative draft guidance on the firm's Avastin (bevacizumab), not recommending it for use in combination with a taxane for patients whose breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The NICE also turned down Japanese drug major Takeda's Mepact (mifamurtide, L-MTP-PE) for the treatment of bone cancer in children, adolescents and young adults. 12 July 2010