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NICE has recommended cabazitaxel (Jevtana) for the treatment of metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer (mHRPC) in England, pharma Sanofi Genzyme has announced.
The announcement is positive news for patients with advanced prostate cancer, as cabazitaxel fulfils an important unmet need and has been proven to extend survival for these patients.
NICE guidance (TA391) published today acknowledges that cabazitaxel is a clinically-effective and cost-effective treatment that prolongs life and is valued by patients.
Nick James, Professor of Clinical Oncology at the Cancer Centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, said: “I am delighted with this announcement from NICE, which represents an important milestone for men with advanced prostate cancer.
“It means that patients will now have access to another effective treatment, which may offer extended survival to patients who have failed on other treatments.”
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and kills about 10,500 men in the UK every year. In time, most prostate cancers become resistant to hormone therapy and continue to grow despite treatment. Cabazitaxel is the only remaining NICE-approved chemotherapy option for advanced prostate cancer that is not responsive to hormone therapies following initial chemotherapy (docetaxel).
NHS Wales and Health and Social Care Northern Ireland are expected to adopt the NICE guidance, while cabazitaxel is also being appraised by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) through its Health Technology Appraisal process. Guidance in Scotland is expected to be published by the SMC in June.
Hugh Gunn, spokesperson for patients’ charity TACKLE Prostate Cancer, said: “We believe that every man with advanced prostate cancer should have access to the treatments that works best for them and their needs.
“This recommendation provides an important treatment for patients who are in the latter stages of the disease and who have few therapeutic options.”