Janssen-Cilag receives NICE recommendation for Velcade

Janssen-Cilag has been granted a recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) relating to its multiple myeloma treatment Velcade.

The organisation has endorsed the bortezomib-based drug, in combination with an alkylating agent and a corticosteroid, as a first-line therapy for patients who are unable to undergo high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation or thalidomide treatment.

It has been approved by NICE as a first relapse treatment since 2007 and has since become a standard of care in this application in England and Wales.

Dr Peter Barnes, medical director of Janssen-Cilag UK, expressed belief that the drug could be used in an even wider array of applications.

He added: “We will work constructively with NICE to demonstrate this evidence in the hope of extending the draft recommendation to more patients in the frontline setting.”

Last month, Janssen-Cilag published results from a clinical trial which demonstrated the potential mental health benefits of its drug Stelara among patients with psoriasis.