Ferring’s Firmagon receives recommendation from NICE

Ferring has received a recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for its prostate cancer therapy Firmagon.

The UK regulator has issued final draft guidance endorsing the drug as an option for advanced hormone dependent prostate cancer patients with spinal metastases who present with signs or symptoms of spinal cord compression.

Clinical evidence demonstrated the effective performance of the therapy compared to other current treatments, while Ferring was also able to show that it would be a cost-effective use of NHS resources.

The draft guidance is now with consultees, who will be able to share their thoughts on the recommendations, thereby informing NICE's final guidance.

Professor Carole Longson, director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at NICE, said: "Degarelix is a hormone therapy drug that provides an important benefit for people with cancer that has spread to the spine and presents with signs or symptoms of spinal cord compression."

This comes after the firm reported data from a clinical study earlier this year showing Firmagon is able to reduce the risk of cardiac events among prostate cancer patients.