Janssen disappointed at SMC decision on Zytiga

Janssen, a UK-based subsidiary of US health care giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is disappointed with the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) decision published today, which does not recommend the use of Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) with prednisone or prednisolone for the treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer in adult men who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic after failure of androgen deprivation therapy in whom chemotherapy is not yet clinically indicated.

The decision comes despite abiraterone already being approved by the SMC as cost effective for use after chemotherapy. Abiraterone is available to the National Health Service in Scotland at a reduced cost, which was agreed under a patient access scheme three years ago, and this agreement applies for men treated with abiraterone before chemotherapy.

Will seek a long-term solution