NICE approves new combination treatment for NHS use

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended abemaciclib in combination with fulvestrant should be available for NHS use, and NHS England have made the new treatment available with immediate effect, which will benefit some patients with advance breast cancer. It is thought that the combination can slow disease progression and delay chemotherapy. NICE’s approval came on the back of evidence from a clinical trial that suggested the combination increases the length of time before the disease progresses but results did not provide evidence about the overall survival benefit or its value for money at £2,950 for a packet of fifty-six 150mg tablets excluding VAT. There will however be an NHS discount.
Meindert Boysen, director of the Centre for Health Technology Assessment at NICE, said: “The committee heard from patients that a treatment which could postpone or avoid the need for chemotherapy is important because chemotherapy has the potential to substantially reduce the quality of life. They also highlighted the importance of people remaining in better health longer, without the disease progressing.”