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ARTICLE | Company News

NICE backs five cancer drugs, spurns Cyramza

January 27, 2016 1:47 AM UTC

The U.K.'s NICE recommended a quintet of cancer drugs, including reversing a prior decision on Farydak panobinostat from Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN); however, the agency snubbed stomach cancer compound Cyramza ramucirumab from Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY). The agency said it does not recommend the human IgG1 mAb VEGFR-2 antagonist because it did not provide enough benefit in the indication to justify its high cost.

NICE said it now backs Novartis' Farydak in patients who have failed two prior therapies -- including Velcade bortezomib and an immunomodulatory agent -- when provided under a discounted patient access scheme. The agency said Novartis submitted a revised economic analysis after NICE had declined to recommend the oral pan-deacetylase (DAC) inhibitor in September. ...