NICE has agreed to delay its Final Appraisal Determination for Nexavar (sorafenib) for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in order to consider a patient access scheme.
The drug’s manufacturer, Bayer Schering Pharma, has already agreed the access scheme with the DH.
“Bayer Schering Pharma is encouraged that NICE has delayed its decision to issue final guidance for Nexavar in HCC,” a company spokesperson commented. “We hope that NICE takes this opportunity to evaluate and fully understand the benefit of our proposed patient access scheme and to listen to leading healthcare professionals in the field who were unanimous in their condemnation of the initial negative proposal.”
Liver cancer causes more than 3,000 deaths every year in the UK and HCC accounts for 80–90% of all primary liver tumours.
Nexavar (sorafenib) is the first systemic therapy to show a survival advantage for patients with HCC in over 30 years of trials. It has been proven to extend overall survival by 44% compared to best supportive care alone, and is currently available to patients in other European countries and in other parts of the world.
The company added: “Bayer Schering Pharma will continue to work with NICE and the Department of Health through this delay, to secure access to Nexavar for NHS patients with advanced hepatocellular cancer. We hope a favourable decision for patients waiting for access to this treatment is reached.”