NICE final draft guidance on Eli Lilly's Alimta negative

UK drugs watch dog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) this morning (June 13) issued final draft guidance not recommending US drug major Eli Lilly’s Alimta (pemetrexed) for the maintenance treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following induction therapy with pemetrexed and cisplatin.

Commenting on the draft guidance, Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of the NICE, said: “The two main goals of maintenance treatment are to prolong the period of remission after first-line chemotherapy and increase the likelihood of being able to receive second-line chemotherapy. NICE already recommends pemetrexed as a treatment option for maintenance treatment following a different first line treatment. However, in this case, pemetrexed as maintenance treatment following combination therapy with cisplatin, although effective, the benefits did not justify the costs. It is disappointing not to be able to recommend pemetrexed in this draft guidance, but we can only recommend treatments which are both clinically and cost effective.”

The draft guidance is now with consultees, who have the opportunity to appeal against it. Until the NICE issues final guidance, National Health Service bodies should make decisions locally on the funding of specific treatments. This draft guidance does not mean that people currently taking pemetrexed as maintenance treatment following induction therapy with pemetrexed and cisplatin will stop receiving it. They have the option to continue treatment until they and their clinicians consider it appropriate to stop.