NICE approves MabThera for leukaemia
pharmafile | July 22, 2009 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | MabThera, NICE
NICE has approved Roche's top-selling drug MabThera as a first-line treatment for the UK's most common type of leukaemia.
The cost-effectiveness body recommended its use in combination with chemotherapy agents fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).
Dr Carole Longson, NICE Health Technology Evaluation Centre Director, said the drug "represented an effective use of NHS resources".
She added: "This important guidance increases the treatment options available to people with this condition, wherever they live in England and Wales."
Over 20,000 people in the UK are living with CLL and there are an estimated 3,700 new cases every year.
The addition of MabThera (rituximab) to FC chemotherapy has been proven to halt progression of the disease by 10.5 months longer than chemotherapy alone, and more than doubles the number of CLL patients achieving complete remission, compared to chemotherapy.
European regulators approved MabThera for treatment of the disease in February 2009.
The drug is already a blockbuster product thanks to its use in non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and it has also been used to treat the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis since 2006.
It helped Roche deliver a solid performance last year with the rest of the company's cancer portfolio, with sales in the therapy area growing 15% due to drugs like MabThera, Herceptin and Avastin.
However, Citi Investment Research expect Roche's growth in cancer to slow due to pricing pressures as governments seek to reduce healthcare spend. It said competition from cancer medicines from GSK and Merck would also impact the record sales.
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