UK patient group makes case for CML drugs Sprycel and Tasigna given initial 'thumbs down' by the NICE

Following the latest draft guidance from the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on drugs for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia, which took a somewhat negative, cost-related, stance on the use of Novartis' Tasigna (nilotinib) and Bristol-Myers Squibb's Sprycel (dasatinib) for use under the National Health Service in patients who are intolerant to Glivec (imatinib), also from Novartis (The Pharma Letter February 9), the patient group, the Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Support group, has put up a strong argument for the two drugs.

The support group says it has grave concerns about the recommendation contained in the new ACD for imatinib (Glivec) 'intolerant' CML, pointing out that, 'in the consultation document, the appraisal committee does not consider comparative data from international clinical trials of dasatinib (Sprycel) and nilotinib (Tasigna) to be sufficiently robust to allow for a recommendation of NHS cost effectiveness of either therapy in the treatment imatinib intolerant CML.'

Questions validity of decision