WIREDGOV

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today (18 June) published final guidance on the use of lenalidomide for multiple myeloma in people who have received at least one prior therapy.

The new NICE guidance recommends lenalidomide in combination with dexamethasone as a treatment option for people with multiple myeloma who have received two or more prior therapies. The cost of the drug beyond 26 cycles (each of 28 days; normally a period of 2 years) will be met by the manufacturer, Celgene.  For those patients who have not received two or more prior therapies, but are currently receiving lenalidomide, the independent Appraisal Committee has recommended they have the option to continue treatment until they and their clinician consider it appropriate to stop.

Professor Peter Littlejohns, Clinical and Public Health Director at NICE said: “Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that develops from cells in the bone marrow and there is currently no cure for the disease, only treatments to stop the progress of the condition and help relieve symptoms. It is an uncommon cancer, with less than 4000 new cases per year in the UK.

“Following a proposal from the manufacturer of lenalidomide, where they bear the costs of the drug beyond 26 cycles (normally for a period of 2 years), the independent Appraisal Committee was able to recommend lenalidomide as treatment option for multiple myeloma in people who have received two or more prior therapies. The Committee also accepted that lenalidomide fitted NICE’s criteria for allowing its advisory bodies greater flexibility when making recommendations on the use of end of life treatments.

“NICE already recommended bortezomib (Velcade) in October 2007 under a risk sharing scheme for patients who are experiencing their first relapse and publication of this new NICE guidance is good news for patients who have already tried other chemotherapy regimens.”