Merck and Pfizer receive NICE backing for Bavencio

Merck and Pfizer’s cancer drug Bavencio has been recommended for NHS use in the treatment of a rare form of skin cancer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a final appraisal determination recommending Bavencio for routine NHS use in the treatment of adults with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC).

Bavencio has been endorsed for the treatment of mMCC in adult patients who have received one or more lines of chemotherapy. It will be made available in England via the Cancer Drugs Fund.

NICE has agreed to offer this availability for a time-limited period while the manufacturers build a body of evidence from first-line mMCC trials supporting the drug. After this, the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Bavencio in a first-line setting will be re-evaluated.

Belinda Byrne, Medical Director at Merck, said: “We have worked closely with NICE and the Cancer Drugs Fund to ensure all mMCC patients can get access to avelumab as early as possible in their treatment.”

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