The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said it would cover AstraZeneca's Imfinzi via the Cancer Drugs Fund, for the treatment of certain patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
Specifically, the drug is for patients suffering from locally advanced unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (stage 3) who have already had another type of treatment (platinum-based chemoradiation).
Imfinzi was approved last September on the basis of data from a Phase III trial that showed the drug induced a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival by 11.2 months versus placebo. According to NICE, there are currently no other treatment options for these patients whose disease has not progressed post-chemoradiation.
Offered to the NHS at a discounted price, the drug could benefit around 165 people in England in its first year, with more to follow, according to Nice.
Read the NICE release.