UK's NICE Gives Rebuff To Glaxo's Tykerb, Roche's Herceptin

LONDON (Dow Jones)--U.K. youth nfl jerseyscost watchdog NICE Wednesday said in draft quidance that it won't recommend use of either GlaxoSmithKline PLC's (GSK) Tykerb or Roche Holding AG's (ROG.VX) Herceptin when combined with another drug called an aromatase inhibitor for treating patients with a particular type of breast cancer that is both hormone-receptor and HER2-positive. National Institute of Clinical Excellence, which rations access to drugs on the publicly-funded National Health Service, said its draft guidance on Tykerb, also known as lapatinib, and Herceptin, whose generic name is trastuzumab, was based on costPro Bowl Jerseys effectiveness. Nearly 46,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the U.K. Of these, up to 80% will have hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, meaning that cancer cells depend on female hormones, such as oestrogen, to grow. These tumors can also sometimesNew England Patriots Jersey be HER2-positive, which means that cells grow and divide more quickly. HER2-positive breast cancer is generally more aggressive because it is faster growing. Andrew Dillon, NICE Chief Executive, in a statement said that "evidence suggests that these drug combinations do not offer enough additional value to patients over and above currently available treatment to justify the high cost that the NHS would have to pay for them." "Although trial data indicated that these treatment combinations could delay the growth and spread of the disease, an overall survival benefitLarry Fitzgerald Jerseywas less certain." NICE said the view was open to public consultation until January 19. Roche in a statement said it will appeal the preliminary decision, adding that it "denies the small population of women with advanced breastChris Johnson Jersey cancer who are unsuitable for chemotherapy and trastuzumab, valuable treatment options when they are in the final stages of their life." "NICE's decision means that women in England will rely on their clinicians' successful application to the Cancer Drugs Fund in order to receive this treatment," the Swiss drug maker said. Glaxo responded by saying it "continues to believe that lapatinib in combination with an aromatase inhibitor offers a clinical benefit for this patient population by significantly delaying disease progression and improving response rates compared with an aromatase inhibitor alone." The U.K.'s biggest drug maker said in a statement that "it is providing a Patient Access Scheme to allow appropriate patientsVince Young Jersey to access lapatinib at a discounted cost to the NHS. Patients may also be able to access the medicine through the Cancer Drugs Fund."