Janssen expresses disappointment over NICE decision on Zytiga

Janssen, the UK subsidiary of US health care giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), says is extremely disappointed with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) draft guidance published today which does not recommend the use of Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) for the treatment of metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer (mCRPC), before chemotherapy.

If this decision is allowed to stand, men in England will be denied routine access to a medicine that, if used earlier on in patient’s disease, can delay disease progression, prolong life and provide a better quality of life with less fatigue and pain . This is particularly disappointing for patients in England given that abiraterone is already routinely available before chemotherapy in over 100 other countries worldwide – including Scotland.

Abiraterone is already approved by the NICE for routine use after chemotherapy, where it is considered to be cost effective. It is available before chemotherapy via applications to the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) where it is the second most requested medicine on the Fund, demonstrating the clear demand from patients and clinicians. However, the CDF is due to end in March 2016 and a positive NICE recommendation is the only way to ensure that eligible men in England and Wales will be able to get routine access to abiraterone earlier on in their disease. Janssen has proposed a number of different options to the Department of Health, NHS England and NICE so that abiraterone can be approved for routine use and removed from the CDF, freeing up CDF resources for other innovative new medicines.