NICE Velcade decision ‘a matter of balancing’

NICE’s decision not to approve Velcade, the Janssen-Cilag drug, for multiple myeloma, is a matter of balancing the cost of the drug with other treatments available, according to one expert.

The regulatory body responsible for approving the use of drugs on the NHS in England and Wales gave a negative determination in its final guidance for Velcade, much to the chagrin of multiple myeloma charities and patients alike.

Myeloma UK said the decision would represent the “biggest set back in the history of the treatment of myeloma”.

However, Professor Karol Sikora told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme that the cost of the drug in prolonging a patient’s life – 50,000 pounds – “is beyond most of the interventions we can do in the health service”.

“If we spend it here, we don’t spend it on other cancer drugs?we don?t have other aspects to care for,” he added.

The professor concluded by saying that it is a “matter of balancing things” so that the entire community gains.

However, Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said on Sunday that Velcade should be made available to NHS patients in England.

The MP suggested on ITV’s Sunday Edition programme that NICE should have the ability to negotiate drug prices with the manufacturers in an attempt to make drugs reach the regulator’s cost-effectiveness criteria.