NICE in final guidance recommendsroutine use of Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine) for women with advanced and inoperable HER2-positive breast cancer.- Roche

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in a final decision recommended routine use of Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine) from Roche, for women who have advanced and inoperable HER2-positive breast cancer after treatment with Herceptin and a taxane, separately or in combination. The drug has been available only to some patients through funding by the Cancer Care Fund and there has been considerable pressure from cancer advocacy groups for NICE and Roche to come to a compromise for routine use of the drug, which has been shown to extend median overall survival by 5.8 months on average.

Roche offered an undisclosed discount off the £90,000 ($115,000) per patient cost, and the NICE decided to compare Kadcyla with Herceptin plus capecitabine, instead of a different combination of treatments. NICE said the change was made because that combination is now considered the standard for care. The drug is now considered cost effective.