Scotland's drug cost-effective agency rules on Opdivo, Perjeta and Entresto

7 March 2016

Drug cost-effectiveness regulator the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) issued a bunch of recommendations today, two of which were negative for important new cancer treatments.

The SMC issued guidance which does not recommend the use of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (NYSE: BMY) Opdivo (nivolumab) as monotherapy for the treatment of advanced (unresectable or metastatic) melanoma in adults.

The decision will leave Scottish patients with advanced skin cancer without access to this potentially life-extending medicine, the drug major stated. In contrast, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently approved the National Health Service use of nivolumab for patients in England and Wales. Melanoma is a growing health burden in Scotland with incidence having risen by 30% over the last decade - more than any other common cancer.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK