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NICE approves Imbruvica for second-line leukaemia treatment

pharmafile | January 26, 2017 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing AbbVie, CLL, Janssen, ibrutinib, imbruvica 

NICE has issued its Technology Appraisal Guidance (TAG) that has recommend Imbruvica (ibrutinib) for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) in adult patients. The treatment will be used in those patients who have been treated with one prior therapy or for those whom chemotherapy alongside immunotherapy is not possible.

Imbruvica is jointly developed and commercialised by Pharmacyclics, a subsidiary of AbbVie, and Janssen. Recently, the companies released finding from a Phase 3 trial, RESONATE-2, that displayed strong results for the treatment as a first-line treatment. In this case, the treatment will be used in the UK only as first-line treatment in those who have 17p deletion or TP53 mutation, and who are not illegible for chemo-immunotherapy.

Jennifer Lee, director of health economics, market access and reimbursement and advocacy at Janssen UK, said, “This is very welcome news for patients with CLL, who will now be entitled to routinely access ibrutinib on the NHS in England. Janssen is dedicated to ensuring that patients with blood cancer have access to the most effective and innovative therapies, and we keenly await a similar positive decision by NICE for patients with mantle cell lymphoma and Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, who currently have limited treatment options available. It therefore continues to be our priority to work with NICE and NHS England to ensure that all patients who may benefit from ibrutinib can have access to it in the future.”

There were around 3,500 cases of CLL in the UK, in the year 2014.

Ben Hargreaves

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