NICE open to including Opdivo in CDF for lung cancer

In two newly released draft guidances, the U.K.'s NICE asked Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE:BMY) to make a case for the inclusion of Opdivo nivolumab in the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) to treat squamous or non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NICE again recommended against Opdivo's use in the indications for routine use.

In the new guidances, NICE said that although Opdivo was not cost effective for all NSCLC patients, it is "plausible" that Opdivo has greater effectiveness in patients with high PD-L1 expression. It invited BMS to submit a proposal for inclusion in the CDF, saying the company could present estimates of cost effectiveness for Opdivo in high expressors, and noted that "ongoing trials aim to assess the efficacy of nivolumab according to PD-L1 expression." ...