NICE set to block Herceptin for gastric cancer
pharmafile | July 6, 2010 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Herceptin, NICE, Roche, gastric cancer
NICE’s preliminary draft guidance has not approved Roche’s Herceptin for gastric cancer as it failed to show how far the treatment could aid patient survival.
The cost-effectiveness body said in a statement that they could not recommend the treatment “due to the uncertainty surrounding the extent to which to which it can extend life”.
Herceptin (trastuzumab), already a blockbuster in breast cancer, was launched in February in the UK to treat HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer (MGC), and NICE’s recommendation will be a blow to Roche’s ambitions to expand the drug into further oncology indications.
Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, said: “Although clinical trials suggest that trastuzumab can extend life for patients with HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer, there is considerable uncertainty about the data on how long this extension would be.
“The manufacturer and other consultees now have an opportunity to help the independent Appraisal Committee resolve this uncertainty, to the extent that they can. All comments received will be fully considered by the Committee at their next meeting.”
Gastric cancer affects approximately 8,200 people in the UK every year, around 500 of whom would be eligible for treatment with Heceptin.
The drug works by targeting the human epidermal growth factor receptor HER2, a protein found on the surface of some cancer cells. Herceptin attaches itself to the HER2 protein so that epidermal growth factor cannot reach the cancer cells; this stops the cells from dividing and growing but can only work in people who have high levels of the HER2 protein.
Herceptin is currently indicated for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer and made Roche CHF 5.3 billion in sales last year.
Earlier this year Roche’s oncology blockbuster Avastin failed in trials to add metastatic gastric cancer to its list of multiple oncology indications.
On a more positive note for the Swiss pharma company NICE is currently appraising Xeloda (capecitabine) for gastric cancer and it set to approve the blockbuster cancer treatment in preliminary guidance released later this year.
Ben Adams
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