New NICE guidance has recommended Sutent (sunitinib) for people with non-operable or metastatic gastro-intestinal stromal tumours (GIST) following unsuccessful treatment with imatinib.
Sunitinib is recommended on the basis that the cost of the drug for the first treatment cycle is covered by the manufacturer.
Professor Peter Littlejohns, NICE Clinical and Public Health Director, said: “Gastro-intestinal stromal tumours are difficult to diagnose, but it has been estimated that there are around 240 new cases of unresectable and/or metastatic GISTs per year in England and Wales.
“Today’s guidance provides these patients with a further treatment option and represents a positive move by the manufacturer, who, by reducing the cost the NHS will have to pay for this treatment, will enable as many eligible patients as possible to access it.”
Rob Day, UK Director of Oncology for Pfizer Limited, commented: “We are truly delighted that NICE has taken the decision in its guidance to enable eligible GIST patients to benefit from sunitinib. We hope now that all eligible GIST patients in the UK will quickly have access to this treatment.”
Approximately 50% of GIST patients will eventually see their cancer progress within two years of starting treatment with imatinib. Sunitinib has been shown to delay tumour progression by almost five months versus best supportive care alone in patients with whom imatinib has failed.