NICE rebuffs Avastin in first-line breast cancer
The U.K.'s NICE issued a preliminary appraisal recommending against the use of Avastin bevacizumab from Roche (SIX:ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY) in combination with a taxane for the first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Comments are due by July 30.
NICE estimated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for Avastin plus paclitaxel vs. weekly paclitaxel would be between L118,000 ($178,923) and L259,000 ($392,722) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). It is generally accepted that a technology must have an incremental cost less than or equal to L20,000-L30,000 per QALY for the agency to consider it cost-effective. NICE also concluded that Avastin plus a taxane did not fulfill the criteria for being a life extending, end-of-life treatment because there was no evidence that Avastin plus paclitaxel offers an extension to life of an additional three months, compared with paclitaxel alone. In its submission to NICE, Roche said Avastin plus paclitaxel non-significantly increased median overall survival by 1.7 months vs. paclitaxel alone. ...