NICE: Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Yervoy too costly
pharmafile | October 14, 2011 | News story | Sales and Marketing | NICE, Yervoy
Bristol Myers Squibb has failed to win NICE backing for its melanoma drug Yervoy after the Institute judged its £80,000 price tag too costly.
NICE is appraising BMS’ Yervoy (ipilimumab) for advanced malignant melanoma in people who have received prior chemotherapy.
In draft guidance released today it says it cannot recommend the drug because the annual cost of £80,000 is too much given questions over its efficacy.
Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, said: “In the case of Yervoy, the data submitted by [BMS] primarily came from a trial called the MDX010 20 trial.
“This did not compare Yervoy with the drugs currently used to treat people with advanced or metastatic melanoma, but the results did show the drug could potentially be very effective for a small percentage of patients.”
But Dillon said the follow up from the trial was too short to determine how long this effect would last.
“Clinical specialists also told the independent appraisal committee that only around 30% of people treated with Yervoy would have improved survival, with only 10% potentially experiencing long-term benefits.”
Dillon added that the drug is also is associated with a number of serious adverse reactions that significantly affect a patient’s quality of life.
“[We] considered all these factors and concluded that, on the basis of the evidence provided so far, Yervoy could not be considered a cost effective use of NHS resources.”
Dillon said that BMS could submit a patient access scheme to the Department of Health to cut the overall cost of the drug, which could make NICE more willing to recommend it.
NICE’s decision was seen as an inevitability by many given the drug’s high cost and the watchdog’s recent form on not recommending new cancer medicines.
Industry analysts IHS Global Insight said: “The news comes as little surprise to IHS Global Insight, who had long questioned whether a drug with such a high initial price point could feasibly reach the cost-effectiveness threshold which guides NICE’s decision.
“Still, it is a major setback for cancer patients, who had been hoping that the highly innovative therapy could give some respite to the lack of treatment options.”
BMS to submit more evidence for Yervoy
Bristol-Myers Squibb said it was disappointed by NICE’s decision, adding that it comes in spite of an acknowledgement by the watchdog that Yervoy is a significant innovation for the treatment of advanced melanoma.
Amadou Diarra, general manager at Bristol-Myers Squibb UK, said that the firm was “fully committed to demonstrating that Yervoy represents real value for money to the NHS”.
He said BMS would submit further evidence to NICE to try and persuade it to reconsider the decision.
Even though NICE has not backed the drug for funding in the NHS, Yervoy can be accessed via the government’s £200 million Cancer Drugs Fund.
BMS warned however that regional variations in the Fund’s use are ‘widespread’, adding that there still remains inconsistency in patient access to the Fund across the UK.
Ben Adams
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