NICE rebuffs Keytruda for second-line NSCLC

The U.K.'s NICE issued draft guidance recommending against use of Keytruda pembrolizumab from Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) as a second-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in adults whose tumors express PD-L1. In August, the European Commission approved the mAb against PD-1 for that indication.

According to NICE, the most plausible incremental cost effective ratio (ICER) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained with Keytruda would be greater than L50,000 ($64,285), higher than the range usually considered a cost-effective use of NHS resources, even when considering that the mAb against PD-1 is a life-extending, end-of-life treatment. ...