NICE recommends against Imbruvica for Waldenstrom's

In draft guidance published Wednesday, the U.K.'s NICE recommended against use of Imbruvica ibrutinib from AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) to treat Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia. The agency also recommended against Imbruvica's inclusion in the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) for the indication.

NICE said there was "considerable uncertainty" of Imbruvica's clinical benefit, particularly concerning the drug's long-term effects on progression and survival, and said the incremental cost-effective ratios (ICERs) presented by the sponsor were substantially above the range that NICE considers cost-effective. It added that Imbruvica should not be included in the CDF because "it is unlikely that further data collection would lead to a more favorable cost-effectiveness estimate" within two years. ...