Dive Brief:
- In 2010, Britain's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) refused to recommend funding for using Glivec (imatanib) for adjuvant treatment in patients at high risk for developing gastrointestinal tumors.
- The main concern was cost-effectiveness and concerns about ‘key aspects of clinical effectiveness.”
- NICE has shifted its opinion in favor of adjuvant use of Glivec in patients at high risk for GISTs based on convincing clinical data.
Dive Insight:
Glivec has mainly been used for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia, but NICE has also approved it for neoadjuvant use in patients with inoperable tumors. However, in 2010, NICE rejected use of Glivec as an adjuvant treatment for patients at high risk for GISTs. The main concerns were lack of sufficient efficacy data and the cost of Glivec versus its utility. Now, NICE has changed its position. New data has convinced the agency that Glivec is worth the cost -- $35,284 per year (up from $33,204 in 2010) -- based on evidence showing that it delays the recurrence of GISTs and may increase survival. The recommendation is for up to three years of use in adults at risk of relapse after surgery.