NICE recommends Lynparza as first line maintenance therapy for ovarian cancer patients

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended interim funding on England’s NHS for AstraZeneca’s ovarian cancer drug Lynparza in the earlier stages of the disease as a maintenance treatment after an initial round of chemotherapy.This positive recommendation affects adults with BRCA mutation-positive, advanced high-grade epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer that has responded to chemotherapy.

NICE said the twice-daily tablet will be funded as long as the conditions of a managed access agreement between AstraZeneca and NHS England are followed. AstraZeneca has offered the drug at a discounted price to secure the funding from NICE.

There were uncertainties in the evidence AstraZeneca has presented so far that NICE has been unable to resolve and the cost-effectiveness body is awaiting further data from the ongoing SOLO-1 trial to confirm the drug’s survival benefit. The estimate is that Lynparza delays disease progression by around three years compared with placebo, but overall survival data is not currently available because those on the trial have not been followed up for long enough.