UK NICE negative on Sanofi's Jevtana and GSK's Benlysta but positive on ALK-Abello's Pharmalgen

UK drugs watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) this morning issued new draft guidance, which is now open to consultation, not recommending the use of French drug major Sanofi’s Jevtana (cabazitaxel), in combination with prednisone or prednisolone as a second line treatment for prostate cancer. But came out in favor of Denmark-based ALK-Abello’s (ALKB: DC) Pharmalgen.

Jevtana was approved in the USA in July 2010 and the European Union in March this year, and was launched in the UK this July. The drug generated second-quarter sales of 48 million euros ($64.9 million) for Sanofi (The Pharma Letters passim).

Commenting on the Jevtana draft recommendations Sir Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive of the NICE, said: “When assessing the cost effectiveness of a treatment, NICE appraisal committees will take numerous factors into account. These include how effective the drug is, its side effects, the effect it can have on the patient’s quality of life and also the financial cost. This enables them to determine the cost of using the drug to provide a year of the best quality of life available or quality adjusted life year (QALY).