UK NICE recommends Novartis drugs for chronic myeloid leukemia, but not Bristol-Myers' Sprycel

In new draft guidance, the UK drug watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended Tasigna (nilotinib) and Glivec (imatinib), both made by Swiss drug major Novartis’ (NOVN: VX), for the first line treatment of CML (chronic myeloid leukemia) in the National Health Service. However, the NICE has not recommended Sprycel (dasatinib) from US drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY).

In response to the draft guidance, NICE Chief Executive Sir Andrew Dillon said: “This new appraisal incorporates a partial review of previous guidance on the use of standard dose (400mg) imatinib for treating first-line CML. The new draft recommendations reaffirm the use of imatinib as a cost effective use of NHS resources and we are also very pleased to be able to add a further treatment option for these patients, by recommending nilotinib.”

Although no trials directly comparing dasatinib and nilotinib were available, the committee concluded from indirect comparisons that dasatinib and nilotinib could be considered equally as effective in treating CML.