Key Summary
- More patients can now access life-extending bowel cancer treatment
- Lower-cost biosimilars make the drug affordable for the NHS
- Used alongside chemotherapy, it can help people live longer
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved bevacizumab (brand name Avasatin) biosimilars along with chemotherapy to fight metastatic colorectal cancer.
Bowel cancer or colorectal cancer is a rising health concern in England, with nearly 35,000 diagnoses annually, among which 10,000 cases are metastatic cancer that spreads to other organs.
NICE was able to recommend the drug following the availability of low-cost biosimilars.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE commented, “Assessing the cost-effectiveness of biosimilar medicines is an important step for NICE, allowing us to quickly get effective treatments to patients while ensuring the NHS gets the best value for money.”
The drug prevents the growth of these tumours and they need to be infused once every two or three weeks along with chemotherapy.
The clinical trial has proven improved chances of survival among patients with 21.3 more months over just 19.9 months from chemotherapy alone.
Now, the treatment is used as a first or second-line option for patients, especially patients for whom immunotherapies are ineffective.
This approval is NICE’s contribution to government’s 10-Year Health Plan, which aims to ensure better access to care patients.
"NICE has a vital role in reassessing treatments as more affordable off-patent biosimilar and generic medicines reshape how we evaluate costs and benefits,” said Mark Samuels, chief executive of Medicines UK.
He added, “With many of the NHS’s most expensive medicines being biologics, biosimilars will play an increasingly important role in expanding patient access to proven therapies."
“We’re delighted that NICE has approved bevacizumab for first- and second-line treatment in combination with chemotherapy for advanced bowel cancer patients in England and Wales, following a similar announcement by the National Cancer Medicines Advisory Group for patients in Scotland,” commented Genevieve Edwards, chief executive at Bowel Cancer UK.
Bevacizumab (Avastin and biosimilars) will now be available in the NHS.
