Eisai’s Halaven recommended for breast cancer in new NICE guidance

Eisai's advanced breast cancer therapy Halaven has been recommended in new draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The UK regulator has provisionally recommended the eribulin-based therapy as an option for people with locally advanced breast cancer, or breast cancer that has spread the use of at least two prior chemotherapy treatments.

Halaven will only be endorsed for NHS availability if Eisai agrees to supply the drug with a discount, as outlined in the patient access scheme the company has discussed with NICE.

The regulator originally reviewed the drug in 2012 and opted against recommending it, as there was not enough evidence that it provided superior clinical effectiveness compared to current standard treatments.

However, since then, new data has emerged showing that women taking eribulin survived almost three months longer on average compared with those taking other treatments, with health-related quality of life benefits also associated with the drug.

Professor Carole Longson, director of the centre for health technology evaluation at NICE, said: "The life expectancy of people for whom eribulin is licensed is short, and quality of life is very important. We are therefore pleased to be able to provisionally recommend eribulin as an additional option for people with advanced breast cancer."

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