NICE boost for Taxotere
pharmafile | July 27, 2006 | News story | |Â Â Â
Sanofi-Aventis breast cancer treatment Taxotere has been recommended by NICE in early breast cancer, giving it a boost over a rival treatment the Institute turned down.
NICE said Bristol-Myers Squibb's Taxol lacked clinical or cost effectiveness evidence for its use as a post-surgery (adjuvant) treatment in early node-positive breast cancer.
BMS said in a statement it was disappointed with NICE's decision, which it noted was at significant variance to the licensed indication for Taxol in the treatment of early breast cancer.
Taxol (paclitaxel) and Sanofi-Aventis' Taxotere (docetaxol) are both taxanes and well-established as treatments for a number of cancers, having first been approved in the UK in 1993 and 1995 respectively.
Taxol, which faces generic competition in the UK, was approved in Europe for early node-positive breast cancer in March 2005, two months after Taxotere received a similar licence.
A Taxotere-based chemotherapy regime was judged by NICE to be cost and clinically effective compared with standard practice in the NHS in England and Wales.
Professor Rob Coleman, Professor of Medical Oncology at the Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield, said: "This guidance affects approximately 10,000 women every year in the UK with node positive breast cancer who may be considered for adjuvant chemotherapy.
"Granting unrestricted access to Taxotere is an important step forward for treatment of early breast cancer in England and Wales and provides another treatment option to ensure that the chances of a long, healthy life after a diagnosis of breast cancer continue to improve."
Almost 42,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and around 80% of them present with the early form of the disease.
Node-positive early breast cancer is diagnosed when women have cancerous cells in the lymph nodes and this occurs in approximately 30% of early breast cancer cases, which amounts to about 10,000 women.
Dr Sarah Rawlings, head of policy and information at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "Breakthrough is pleased with NICE's decision. The approval of docetaxel [Taxotere] will result in greater chemotherapy choice for patients with early breast cancer, something which women tell us is very important.
"We understand that there are gaps in the current evidence on paclitaxel [Taxol] and that NICE were unable to recommend its use for early breast cancer."
In 2001, Taxol and Taxotere were recommended by NICE for use as second-line treatments for the advanced stages of breast cancer and this guidance is not affected by NICE's decision on their use in early breast cancer.
