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
Pharma and medical imaging company MedTrace announced the appointment of Nicholas Borys, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Borys is a skilled and experienced healthcare executive with over 25 years experience in advancing portfolios of novel therapies across diverse indications in cardiovascular, cancer, and central nervous system disease.
Eli Lilly and Company has announced a significant expansion of its manufacturing presence in Ireland, with a $1bn investment earmarked for its Limerick site. The move is aimed at boosting the company’s production of biologic active ingredients, including those for its approved Alzheimer’s treatment.
Lonza recently announced that it has completed a planned expansion of the mid-scale microbial manufacturing facility at its Visp, Switzerland site. This multi-product facility was recently granted a GMP license, allowing cGMP manufacturing and release of biologics produced using microbial fermentation.
