The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance recommending the use of Pfizer’s Lorviqua (lorlatinib) for a certain form of lung cancer on the NHS.
The drug has been recommended, within its marketing authorisation, as an option for treating anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in adults whose disease has progressed after: alectinib or ceritinib as the first ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor; or crizotinib and at least one other ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
Lorviqua, which is also an ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has not been compared directly with other drugs. But according to NICE, analyses indirectly comparing the drug with platinum doublet chemotherapy (PDC) and atezolizumab with bevacizumab, carboplatin and paclitaxel (ABCP) suggest that people who take Lorviqua experience benefits in disease progression and survival.
Moreover, the drug meets NICE’s criteria to be considered a life-extending treatment at the end of life and, while cost-effectiveness remains uncertain, the most likely estimates are within what the Institute normally considers an acceptable use of NHS resources, it said.
By: Selina McKee
Source: Pharma Times
Giovanni Caforio, the former CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb, is set to become the next board chairman of Novartis, which on Tuesday proposed the pharmaceutical industry veteran as its pick to replace Joerg Reinhardt in the role next year. Reinhardt has served as Novartis’ chair since 2013 and plans to retire when his 12-year term ends in 2025.
GE HealthCare has raised the curtain on two ultrasound systems equipped with artificial intelligence programs designed to assist in diagnosing conditions in women’s health, including obstetric exams. The Voluson Signature 20 and 18 imaging systems include AI tools capable of automatically identifying and annotating measurements of fetal anatomy.
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry have revealed a new sustainable method of manufacturing complex molecules that could reduce waste produced during drug production. The method published in Nature Chemistry could help to prevent severe side effects caused by drugs that can exist as enantiomers.
