NICE rebuffs Perjeta for neoadjuvant use

In new draft guidance, the U.K.'s NICE recommended against use of Perjeta pertuzumab from Roche (SIX:ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY) in combination with the pharma's Herceptin trastuzumab and docetaxel for the neoadjuvant treatment of HER2-positive, locally advanced, inflammatory or early stage breast cancer. The European Commission approved Perjeta in the indication last year.

According to NICE, there was "uncertainty" about whether a pathological complete response (pCR) with neoadjuvant treatment "was the sole and most reliable indicator of, or translated directly into, treatment-related long-term event-free and overall survival benefit." ...