UK’s NICE approves Astellas Pharma’s new prostate cancer drug

The UK’s National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued new draft guidance recommending Xtandi (enzalutamide) from Japanese drug major Astellas Pharma (TYO: 4503) as an option for treating hormone relapsed metastatic prostate cancer in adults.

Enzalutamide is recommended as an option for treating hormone-relapsed metastatic prostate cancer in adults, only if their disease has progressed during or after one docetaxel-containing chemotherapy regimen and the manufacturer provides enzalutamide with the discount agreed in the patient access scheme.

Draft guidance

Carole Longson, director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at NICE, said: “There are few treatments available for patients at this stage in their cancer so we are very pleased that we are able to produce draft guidance recommending enzalutamide. It is an effective treatment and it also allows patients to be treated at home as it can be taken orally.”