NICE Approves Xtandi and Yervoy

Cost regulators for the National Health Service in England and Wales have this morning issued guidance recommending the use of Bristol-Myers Squibb's Yervoy (ipilimumab) for skin cancer and Astellas' Xtandi (enzalutamide) for prostate cancer.

First-line use of Yervoy will be funded in patients with advanced malignant melanoma when the full tumour cannot be removed or the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

The drug costs £3,750 per 10-ml vial or £15,000 per 40-ml vial, but B-MS has also agreed a patient access scheme with the Department of Health, in which it will be sold to the NHS at a discounted price.

NICE analysis concluded that the most plausible cost per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) was £47,900 for Yervoy compared with the chemotherapy dacarbazine and £28,600 per QALY compared with Roche's Zelboraf (vemuraf).

Read the report here: http://bit.ly/1nf4XSw

Source: PharmaTimes online