NICE does not recommend Tecentriq (atezolizumab) from Roche to treat urothelial (bladder) cancer but suggests Roche make a proposal to Cancer Drugs Fund.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued draft guidance recommending against Tecentriq (atezolizumab) from Roche for treating locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma in adults after prior platinum-containing chemotherapy. However, the agency asked the company to submit a proposal for inclusion of the drug in the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF for patients whose cancer has not yet been treated and who cannot have cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

NICE noted that despite clinical data backing the efficacy of Tecentriq, the treatment has not been directly compared with other therapies. The regulator stated that while the therapy met its criteria for being considered a life-prolonging drug, the lack of data examining the drug relative to competing treatments makes the benefit uncertain.

Comment: The EU CHMP has adopted a positive opinion for the use of Tecentriq (atezolizumab) as a monotherapy for the treatment of adults with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) who have been previously treated with a platinum based chemotherapy or who are considered ineligible for cisplatin chemotherapy.