Roche stomach cancer drug wins NICE backing

Roche has been granted a recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for its drug Herceptin (trastuzumab) to be used among metastatic gastric cancer patients.

The UK-based regulator has published final guidance that endorses the treatment in combination with cisplatin and capecitabine or 5-fluorouracil among patients with HER2-positive metastatic adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastro-oesophageal junction, who have not received prior treatment.

This ruling comes after Roche submitted further analytical data to NICE following the initial draft guidance publication, which convinced the body that Herceptin represents a cost-effective option.

Dr Carole Longson, health technology evaluation centre director at NICE, said: "This new guidance is good news for patients … Although trastuzumab is not a cure, it has the potential to extend the lives of those patients with high levels of HER2 by more than three months."

This comes after Roche received approval from the European Commission earlier this week for its MabThera treatment to be used as a first-line maintenance therapy for follicular lymphoma.