UK's NICE again rejects Roche top selling cancer drug Avastin for treating metastatic colorectal cancer

Swiss drug major Roche ROG: VX) received a disappointing final draft guidance from UK drug watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which denied use of the firm’s top-selling cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) in combination with chemotherapy (oxaliplatin and either 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine) for treating metastatic colorectal cancer on the National Health Service.

The recommendations do not support the use of bevacizumab for this indication, on the basis of the current offer from the manufacturer, the agency said. The NICE also rejected Avastin for this indication earlier this year (The Pharma Letter August 24). In its proposal to the Department of Health, Roche offered to supply Avastin for £20,800 ($33,715) for one patient for a year, and free after that. Additionally, Roche proposed making payments to the UK NHS for each patient beginning therapy with Avastin, which generated sales of 5.0 billion Swiss francs ($5.22 billion) for the company in the first nine months of this year (TPL October 14). The draft guidance is now with consultees, who have the opportunity to appeal against the proposed guidance.

Avastin very expensive and offers just six weeks extra survival in this indication, says NICE