UK NICE says Nexavar (sorafenib) is not value for money in liver cancer treatment- Bayer HealthCare

The UK's NICE has announced that liver cancer treatment Nexavar (sorafenib), from Bayer HealthCare, can stay within the Cancer Drugs Fund, but is not recommended for routine NHS use as it is not value for money, NICE has said in new draft guidance.

The committee found that sorafenib does not provide enough benefit to patients to justify its high cost, even when special considerations were applied. However, having concluded that it could not be recommended for routine use, but recognising the unmet need for patients with this condition, the committee agreed that sorafenib should continue to be recommended for use within the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Comment: NICE originally published guidance in 2010 which said that sorafenib was not cost effective. It was then made available through the CDF. This reconsideration is part of its programme to appraise drugs that are currently available on the CDF. The document is not NICE's final guidance on this technology. The recommendations may change after consultation, when the appraisal committee will meet again to consider any new information or evidence.