UK's NICE sticks with negative view on Roche's Tarceva for NSCLC

Having previously issued negative opinions on the cancer drug, this morning the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) declared that it has been unable to recommend the use of Swiss drug major Roche’s (ROG: SIX) Tarceva (erlotinib) as a maintenance treatment for people with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have had first line treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy and their disease has remained stable.

Although erlotinib has been shown to help some patients live longer, the independent Appraisal Committee felt that there was too much uncertainty about the amount of extra time or overall survival gain expected from the treatment and that based on the evidence available erlotinib was not considered value for money. The drug, which sold for advanced lung and pancreatic cancer, generated sales of 1.3 billion Swiss francs ($1.55 billion) for Roche last year.

The decision comes despite Roche agreeing to a patient access scheme with the Department of Health in which the acquisition cost of erlotinib is reduced by 14.5% (that is, £1,394.96 [$2,227.47) for a pack of 30 tablets [150mg]). The normal acquisition cost of a pack of 30 tablets (150 mg) is £1,631.53. The manufacturer estimated that the average cost of erlotinib per patient would be approximately £6,400