UK's NICE draft guidance says "no" to Roche's Avastin for ovarian cancer

New, draft guidance issued today (March 25) by the UK’s drugs watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) does not recommend Swiss drug major Roche’s (ROG: SIX) Avastin (bevacizumab) for National Health Service use as an ovarian cancer treatment.

The NICE is currently assessing whether bevacizumab, when used in combination with the chemotherapy treatments paclitaxel and carboplatin, would be a cost-effective treatment for women with metastatic ovarian cancer. The document issued today - which is now subject to a two-week appeals period - supports an earlier draft of the guidance that was published in December 2012 and did not recommend bevacizumab for this indication.

Expressing disappointment, Roche says this negative decision means that women will continue to rely on their clinicians’ successful application to the Cancer Drug Fund (CDF) to access this treatment for advanced ovarian cancer in England. However, there is considerable uncertainty about how medicines currently funded through the CDF will continue to be available to patients after the Fund’s end date due in March 2014, the company noted.