NICE declines to recommend Astellas' Xospata in rlapsed/refractory FLT3+ acute myeloid leukaemia

The latest in a series of rejections over the past week, NICE has revealed that it has knocked back the recommendation of Astellas’ Xospata (gilteritinib) for use on the NHS for the treatment of relapsed or refractory FLT3 mutation-positive acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in adult patients.

The drug is priced at £14,188 for a pack of 28 doses. Astellas offered to provide the drug at a confidential discount, but even with this taken into account, NICE could not consider it a cost-effective use of NHS resources.

The reason given for this was that, despite evidence supporting the fact that Xospata can extend life expectancy by over three years compared to current therapies such as salvage chemotherapy after initial chemo has failed, NICE still had questions over its long-term survival benefit.

Around 3,100 patients in the UK are affected by the disease each year.

Matt Fellows