Nivolumab now available for lung cancer

Lung cancer patients in England can now be prescribed nivolumab, also known as Opdivo, after NICE says it should be available through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).

As part of a CDF deal put forward by makers Bristol-Myers Squibb, around 1,300 lung cancer patients will receive nivolumab.

When NICE first reviewed the drug, which has been widely described as a ‘breakthrough drug’, it said the evidence was not strong enough to recommend nivolumab for routine NHS use.

However, as nivolumab seemed to be more effective in some patients, NICE asked Bristol-Myers Squibb to make it available with a discount whilst clinical trials were ongoing.

In November 2016, two patients submitted petitions with a total of 270,000 signatures urging NICE to approve the drug.

Nivolumab will now be immediately available to some people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer if they have already been treated with chemotherapy. It is given intravenously in hospital every two weeks.

The drug works by targeting a protein on the surface of cells which is involved in the body’s immune response to cancer. It appears to work better in people who have more of this protein on their cancer cells.

Carole Longson, director of the NICE centre for health technology evaluation, said: “We know that nivolumab is clinically effective for some people with lung cancer but the full extent of its benefit is not clear. This new deal means that we can give patients access to what we know is a promising treatment whilst more evidence is gathered on its value.

“In less than a year NICE has recommended five new drugs for CDF use and we have cleared almost all the drugs on the old CDF list for routine use. We are truly delivering on our promise to give patients better access to cancer treatments.”

Paul Workman, chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: “I’m pleased to see NICE and the drug’s manufacturer showing flexibility in reaching agreement on the drug’s approval.

“Initially the drug was priced far too high to ever have been judged cost-effective by NICE. Companies need to come to the table with their best, most realistic price offer right at the start, so we get new exciting drugs, such as immunotherapies, to patients as quickly as possible.”