NICE backs thalidomide, Velcade
The U.K.'s NICE issued a preliminary appraisal covering the use of thalidomide from Celgene Corp. (NASDAQ:CELG) and Velcade bortezomib from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) for multiple myeloma (MM). The agency recommended thalidomide in combination with an alkylating agent and a corticosteroid for first-line treatment of MM in people for whom high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation is considered inappropriate. Velcade is recommended for the same indication only when the patient is unable to tolerate or has contraindications to thalidomide.
The committee concluded that the Velcade combination was not cost-effective when compared with the thalidomide combination, and was only cost-effective where thalidomide was not appropriate. NICE calculated an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of L22,500 ($32,616) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained for Velcade plus melphalan and prednisolone/prednisone (MP) compared to MP, and L320,000 ($463,872) per QALY gained for Velcade plus MP compared with thalidomide plus MP. ...