Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo approved for lung cancer by NICE

Bristol-Myers Squibb's cancer therapy Opdivo is to be made available to NHS patients as a lung cancer therapy through the Cancer Drugs Fund.

The company has put forward a new pricing offer that has prompted the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to make the drug available to certain patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer if they have already been treated with chemotherapy.

It is expected that around 1,300 lung cancer patients will receive the nivolumab therapy through the Cancer Drugs Fund thanks to this arrangement, giving them access to a treatment that has been widely described as a breakthrough.

NICE's initial review of the product determined that current evidence was not strong enough to recommend Opdivo for routine NHS use, but the regulator nevertheless asked Bristol-Myers Squibb to make it available with a discount whilst clinical trials were ongoing.

In November 2016, two patients submitted petitions with a total of 270,000 signatures urging NICE to approve the drug, demonstrating the strong demand that exists for the therapy.

Professor Carole Longson, director of the NICE centre for health technology evaluation, said: "This new deal means that we can give patients access to what we know is a promising treatment whilst more evidence is gathered on its value."

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