Takeda’ s Adcetris Wins “Landmark” Cancer Drugs Fund First In UK
Executive Summary
Takeda’s Adcetris has received expanded recommendations from England’s health technology appraisal institute, NICE, following data collected through the Cancer Drugs Fund.
Takeda’s blood cancer drug, Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin) has won “landmark” recommendations for routine funding on the National Health Service in England and Wales from the health technology appraisal body, NICE. The recommendation followed additional data collected through the Cancer Drugs Fund.
The recommendations mean that Adcetris has become the first therapy to be reappraised and recommended for routine use on the National Health Service following the completion of a data collection exercise in the new CDF, Takeda said. The company believes that the outcome reflects “strong collaborative working” between Takeda, NICE, NHS England and the lymphoma clinical community.”
The CDF is essentially a managed access fund that provides access to new drugs associated with high levels of clinical uncertainty while more evidence is gathered to support their routine use on the NHS. After the additional evidence has been gathered, NICE conducts a new review of the drug in question and finally decides whether or not to recommend it for routine use. The fund was launched in its current form in 2016. (SC097030)
New Recommendations
NICE has issued a final appraisal determination recommending that Adcetris be used to treat CD30 positive Hodgkin lymphoma in adults with relapsed or refractory disease if they have already had autologous stem cell transplant, or they have already had at least two previous therapies when autologous stem cell transplant or multi-agent chemotherapy are unsuitable. In addition, the company must also provide a discount as agreed through a confidential patient access scheme. The recommendations mean that an additional 45 patients will have automatic right to the drug, said NICE.
Guidance published last June said the drug should be available for these patients through the CDF while more data was gathered. The appraisal committee believed that there was potential for the drug to be a cost-effective treatment option, but it wanted more evidence.
The same 2017 guidance recommended Adcetris for routine use on the NHS for patients with relapsed or refractory disease after autologous stem cell transplant. However, it turned the drug down as a treatment for adults with increased risk of disease relapse or progression after autologous stem cell transplant. The committee believed that in this case the drug would not be cost-effective.
CDF Data
NICE’s appraisal committee had recommended the drug be made available through the CDF because it wanted further data to address doubts over the proportion of patients treated with Adcetris or single agent chemotherapy that subsequently became eligible to receive a stem cell transplant. Data was collected on rates of stem cell transplant following treatment with Adcetris and showed that the drug improved rates of stem cell transplant compared with chemotherapy.
Furthermore, the updated cost-effectiveness estimates for the drug came in at lower than £20,000 per quality adjusted life year gained, which meant that the drug would be cost-effective. Adcetris costs £2,500 per 50mg vial, excluding VAT and the confidential discount.
From the editors of Scrip Regulatory Affairs.