Third NICE consultation on Eli Lilly’s Alimta in the UK

The UK’s drugs watchdog the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is holding a third consultation on draft guidance for Alimta (pemetrexed) from US drug major Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY).

It follows a second consultation which took place in August (The Pharma Letter August 20). Despite the manufacturer revising its original submission, the draft guidance does not recommend pemetrexed for the maintenance treatment of locally-advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer other than predominantly squamous cell histology in people whose disease has not progressed immediately following induction therapy with pemetrexed and cisplatin.

Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of the NICE, said: “NICE already recommends pemetrexed for maintenance treatment following a different first line drug. However, in this case, pemetrexed as maintenance treatment following first line pemetrexed therapy in combination with cisplatin, although effective, did not offer sufficient benefit to 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 It is disappointing not to be able to recommend pemetrexed in this draft guidance, but we can only recommend treatments which are both clinically and cost effective.”

Consultees, including the manufacturer, health care professionals and members of the public are able to comment on the preliminary recommendations.

Already approved for NSCLC