UK’s NICE reverses negative decision on Roche’s Tarceva for NSCLC

Following a consultation period, the UK drug watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has reversed its decision to restrict access to Tarceva (erlotinib) in second-line non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a U-turn which will benefit around 2,000 patients per year, said the drug’s marketer, Swiss pharma major Roche (ROG: SIX).

Erlotinib was approved by the NICE for use on the National Health Service in 2008 and has since become the standard of care for relapsed NSCLC, with 60% of clinicians choosing to prescribe the targeted treatment over chemotherapy. Earlier this year, the NICE issued an Appraisal Committee Document (ACD) announcing that it would be limiting access to erlotinib after a review of the existing guidance found that the drug no longer met the NICE criteria for clinical and cost-effectiveness (The Pharma Letter February 4).

Following consultation with patients, clinicians and the drug's manufacturer, the NICE has modified the draft guidance to allow the continued use of erlotinib on the NHS for relapsed NSCLC. The decision gives clinicians the freedom to prescribe the treatments that they feel are most suitable for their patients.