BRIEF—Lynparza looks set to miss out on UK funding

In a draft decision, the UK’s reimbursement agency has opted not to recommend funding for Lynparza (olaparib) for women with early-stage, high-risk breast cancer.

The decision from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) means that funding will not be made available for routine use of the therapy for this patient population in England and Wales.

In a statement urging further negotiation, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) said that one of the barriers to a deal has been “difficulty in allowing flexibility in the price of drugs for new indications.”

ICR chief executive Kristian Helin said: “It’s the latest instance where it has not been possible to make olaparib available for people with cancer at a price that the NHS can afford, and it points to wider failings in how we agree drug pricing in England and Wales."