Amgen receives NICE recommendation for Xgeva

Amgen has been granted a provisional recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for its new drug Xgeva.

The UK regulator has issued final draft guidance that endorses the product as a treatment for people with bone metastases from most solid cancer tumours, following a review of available evidence and two stages of public consultation.

Specifically, it has been recommended for those affected by bone metastases as a result of breast cancer or solid tumours that would otherwise be treated with prescribed bisphosphonates.

The guidance also specifies that the denosumab-based therapy should be prescribed to patients if Amgen agrees to provide it at a discounted rate agreed with the Department of Health, as part of a patient access scheme.

Professor Carole Longson, director of the centre for health technology evaluation at NICE, said: "Bone metastasis can severely affect a person's quality of life, stopping them from doing things so many of us take for granted."

According to the firm's most recent financial report, strong sales of Xgeva played an important role in helping Amgen to achieve a double-digit year-on-year revenue increase in the second quarter of 2012.