A UK health watchdog has published draft guidance that proposes to advise the National Health Service that GlaskoSmithKline’s Tyverb and Roche’s Herceptin should not be prescribed to certain postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

In its second draft guidance the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said the extent to which these drugs, when used alongside hormone therapy, can improve overall survival in patients whose breast cancer has spread elsewhere in the body is unclear.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

Most postmenopausal breast cancer patients with this type of cancer are likely to be offered Herceptin (trastuzumab) or Tyverb (lapatinib) as first line options alongside aromatase inhibitors only when chemotherapy is deemed unsuitable.

It is unclear, however, how many women this would be relevant to, NICE said in a statement.

This second consultation draft comes after Roche appealed against some of the committee’s initial findings last year.

NICE chief executive Sir Andrew Dillon said, "Having reviewed the available evidence, our committee of experts has found that while both lapatinib and trastuzumab can reduce the growth and further spread of metastatic breast cancer tumours when taken alongside the aromatase inhibitors letrozole and anastrozole, the extent that these treatments can improve overall survival appears to be small or undefined.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

"Furthermore, independent economic analyses indicate that both treatment combinations do not appear to be cost-effective for the NHS because they have uncertain clinical benefits for the price that the NHS is being asked to pay," he added.