NICE clears front-line NHS use for Pfizers lung cancer drug Vizimpro

Pfizer has stolen a march on rival AstraZeneca in the first-line non-small cell lung cancer category, after NICE backed the use of its EGFR inhibitor Vizimpro for NHS use. The once-daily pill will now be routinely available for adults with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who have tested positive for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. Earlier, NICE rejected the drug on the grounds that it wasn’t a cost-effective use of NHS resources. AZ has not been so lucky, with the cost-effectiveness agency turning down its EGFR inhibitor Tagrisso (osimertinib) for the same indication, although the company has said it intends to appeal the decision. Pfizer has offered a discount on Vizimpro (dacomitinib), which was approved by the EMA in April and in the US last September. Its list price in the UK is £2,703 for a 30-day pack of capsules, but the agreed reduction is confidential. In a statement, NICE said Pfizer’s “responsible pricing” had allowed its appraisal committee to reconsider its initial decision. Both Vizimpro and Tagrisso were turned down by the agency in April after an initial assessment, with the committee deciding neither drug offered enough extra benefit to patients when compared with existing treatments to be value for money. “Our committee acknowledged that dacomitinib had the potential to extend life for people with this type of lung cancer more than existing treatments currently available on the NHS,” said Meindert Boysen, director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at NICE.