NICE reject Clovis Oncology’s ovarian cancer drug Rubraca

pharmafile | August 6, 2019 | News story | Manufacturing and Production |  NHS, NICE, Rubraca, UK, guidance, pharma 

Britain’s cost-effectiveness body NICE has chosen not to recommend Clovis Oncology’s cancer drug Rubraca (rucaparib).

On 6 August, NICE issued draft guidance that does not recommend Rubraca for maintenance treatment of relapsed ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal cancer that has responded to platinum-based chemotherapy.

While data from clinical trials shows the drug extends the length of time a person’s cancer progresses compared with placebo (median of 10.8 months in the rucaparib group compared with 5.4 months in the placebo group), it is not known how much longer people live due to immature trial data.

However, the cost effectiveness estimates are also higher than the amounts the NHS considers an acceptable use of resources. Furthermore, rucaparib does not meet the criteria for inclusion in the cancer drugs fund.

Louis Goss