Scottish NHS patients to access Pfizer’s Ibrance combo in HR+/HER- breast cancer following SMC recommendation

pharmafile | July 11, 2019 | News story | Sales and Marketing Cancer, Scotland, Scottish Medicines Consortium, breast cancer, ibrance, pharma 

Female NHS patients in Scotland will soon be able to access Pfizer’s cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor Ibrance (palbociclib) after the Scottish Medicines Consortium chose to recommend the therapy in combination with fulvestrant for the treatment of hormone receptor positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in patients who have received prior endocrine treatment.

The decision was based on Phase 3 data supporting the efficacy of the combo therapy in the recommended indication; it is thought that around 400 patients in Scotland will be eligible to it.

“We are delighted with today’s news from the SMC. Treating women with palbociclib and fulvestrant has been found to be an important and effective option for those who have already received earlier rounds of hormone therapy and we are pleased that this combination of medicines will now be routinely available in Scotland,” commented Dr Olivia Ashman, Oncology Medical Director at Pfizer UK. “We know that this approval from the SMC will be meaningful for the many patients and families who are affected by this type of advanced breast cancer and we hope the same outcome will be reached by NICE later this year.”

NICE, which assesses the availability of medicines to NHS patients in England and Wales, is currently working through its own appraisal for the therapy, and is expected to reach a decision before the end of the year.

Matt Fellows

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