NICE recommends Jevtana for advanced prostate cancer

Sanofi Genzyme’s Jevtana (cabazitaxel) has been recommended for use in combination with prednisone or prednisolone as a treatment option for metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer (mHRPC) in England.

The recommendation follows a review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). This is positive news for patients with advanced prostate cancer as Jevtana fulfils an important unmet need and has been proven to extend survival for these patients.

NICE guidance published today acknowledges that Jevtana (cabazitaxel) is both a clinically-effective and cost-effective treatment that prolongs life and is valued by patients.

“An important milestone” for men with advanced prostate cancer

Commenting on the recommendation, Nick James, Professor of Clinical Oncology at the Cancer Centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, said: “I am delighted with this announcement from NICE, which represents an important milestone for men with advanced prostate cancer. It means that patients will now have access to another effective treatment, which may offer extended survival to patients who have failed on other treatments.”

Hugh Gunn, spokesperson for patients’ charity TACKLE Prostate Cancer, added: “This recommendation provides an important treatment for patients who are in the latter stages of the disease and who have few therapeutic options.”

Prostate cancer is currently the most common cancer in men and kills about 10,500 men in the UK every year. In time, most prostate cancers become resistant to hormone therapy and continue to grow despite treatment. Jevtana (cabazitaxel) is the only remaining NICE approved chemotherapy option for advanced prostate cancer which is not responsive to hormone therapies following initial chemotherapy (docetaxel).

NHS Wales and Health and Social Care (HSC) Northern Ireland are also expected to adopt NICE guidance. Jevtana (cabazitaxel) is being appraised by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) through their Health Technology Appraisal (HTA) process. Guidance in Scotland is expected to be published by the SMC in June 2016.