NICE rejects breast cancer drug eribulin

摘要

ERIBULIN, the breast cancer medicine marketed by Eisai as Halaven, has been rejected by the National institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for NHS use in England and Wales. Eribulin was launched last summer (PJ 2011;286:597) and is licensed as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and whose disease has progressed despite them having received two previous drug regimens. Commenting on the guidance, published this week, NICE chief executive Sir Andrew Dillon said: "Although the evidence presented to the independent advisory committee indicated that eribulin may help some patients live for a little longer, it also caused more undesirable side effects than other treatments already available, and the committee felt that eribulin's effects on health-related quality of life had not been adequately assessed."