A brand new oral treatment for an incurable blood cancer has
today been recommended for NHS use by NICE.
Acalabrutinib, taken as a twice daily tablet, is recommended as
an option for adults with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
(CLL).
CLL is a malignant disorder of white blood cells and is the most
common type of leukaemia in England. An estimated 2,395 patients
will be eligible for treatment with acalabrutinib every year.
NICE has recommended the use of acalabrutinib, as a monotherapy
option for adults with:
- a 17p deletion or TP53 mutation, or
- no 17p deletion or TP53 mutation, and fludarabine plus
cyclophosphamide and rituximab (FCR), or bendamustine plus
rituximab (BR) is unsuitable.
It can also be considered as an option for adults who have
previously been treated for CLL.
Today’s decision means that people with CLL who have high-risk
disease or cannot have standard chemotherapy can be offered the
monotherapy treatment acalabrutinib which can be taken at home.
This is particularly beneficial during the current COVID-19
pandemic because it means that untreated CLL patients who would
previously need to visit a hospital to have a combination therapy
involving an intravenous administration no longer need to do so.
Meindert Boysen, deputy chief executive and director of
the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at NICE,
said: “Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia has a debilitating
effect on the daily lives of those living with it. As the most
common type of leukaemia in England, more targeted treatment
options are very much needed and welcomed.
“Acalabrutinib is considered by patient experts who submitted
evidence to NICE’s independent appraisal committee to be
generally well tolerated and could cause fewer side effects than
existing NHS treatments.
“Evidence submitted to our independent appraisal committee showed
that acalabrutinib is clinically effective in chronic lymphocytic
leukaemia and that it will improve the quality of life for those
living with this condition. We are therefore very pleased to make
this positive recommendation.”
A 30-day pack of acalabrutinib capsules, also known as Calquence
and developed by AstraZeneca, costs £5,059. The company has a
confidential commercial arrangement which allows NHS
organisations to access the drug at a discount.
Each year it is estimated there are around 3,800-4,500 new cases
of CLL. Men are nearly twice as likely to have CLL as women, with
more than a third of cases occurring in people aged 75 and over.
