Eli Lilly sales and marketing update
The U.K.’s NICE issued final draft guidance recommending Alimta pemetrexed from Eli Lilly as a maintenance treatment for locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in adults whose disease has not progressed following induction therapy with Alimta and cisplatin.
In 2014, NICE recommended against Alimta in the indication, saying its benefits did not justify its costs. In this year’s reappraisal process, Lilly submitted an additional cost-effectiveness analysis and agreed to undisclosed discounts. NICE said the most plausible incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was L74,500 ($98,750) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. The committee expects final guidance in August (see BioCentury, March 3, 2014). ...