UK's NICE recommends Celgene's Thalidomide and Janssen's Velcade for multiple myeloma

UK drugs watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published a final guidance recommending National Health Service use of two new treatments for multiple myeloma: USA-based Celgene’s (Nasdaq: CELG) Thalidomide Celgene (thalidomide) and health care giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) subsidiary Janssen’s Velcade (bortezomib).

Thalidomide in combination with an alkylating agent and a corticosteroid is recommended as an option for the first-line treatment of multiple myeloma in people for whom high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation is considered inappropriate. Velcade is also recommended under these circumstances, if the person is unable to tolerate or has contraindications to thalidomide, said the NICE, which previously gave a preliminary positive opinion on the two drugs (The Pharma Letter June 20).

Carole Longson, Health Technology Evaluation Centre Director at the NICE, said: "We are delighted to be able to recommend these two new treatment options for people with this condition. Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that develops from cells in the bone marrow; almost 4,000 cases are diagnosed every year in the UK. There is currently no cure for the disease, only treatments to stop the progress of the condition and help relieve symptoms. Thalidomide and bortezomib regimens have been shown to be more effective at delaying disease progression and improving patients' life expectancy than the current treatment of an alkylating agent and corticosteroid alone."