Although we are not issuing a formal press release, we wanted to
let you know that today (14 July 2022) NICE has published final
draft guidance recommending a potentially life-extending
treatment for a rare form of lung cancer.
Around 2,000 people in England are estimated to have pleural
mesothelioma and it is estimated that over 600 people, including
armed forces veterans and people who were previously exposed to
asbestos before it was banned in 1999, could benefit from this
new treatment.
Nivolumab (also known as Opdivo) with ipilimumab (also known as
Yervoy) has been recommended in NICE’s draft final appraisal
document as a first-line treatment option for untreated
unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma in adults. Both
treatments are made by Bristol Myers Squibb.
This rare and aggressive form of cancer develops in the pleura,
the thin membrane that lines the lungs and chest cavity and most
cases are linked to occupational exposure to asbestos. The cancer
typically presents 20 to 50 years after exposure and progresses
quickly. It currently has a poor prognosis, with 8% to 10% of
patients surviving three years after diagnosis.
Clinical trial evidence suggests that nivolumab plus ipilimumab
extends how long people live compared with chemotherapy, which is
the current standard first-line treatment. Trial results show
that on average people having nivolumab plus ipilimumab survive
for four months longer compared with those having chemotherapy.
Nivolumab and ipilimumab are intravenous treatments, which take
around 30 minutes to be administered every three weeks for
nivolumab and 30 minutes every six weeks for ipilimumab.
Treatment continues for up to 24 months or until the disease
progresses.
Confidential price discount patient access schemes have been
agreed between NHS England and Improvement and the company to
make nivolumab and ipilimumab available.
You can read the draft final appraisal document on nivolumab plus
ipilimumab as a treatment option for untreated unresectable
malignant pleural mesothelioma in adults here.
