NICE's 23rd positive recommendation for breast cancer treatment
since 2018
Around 1,200 people could benefit following NICE's recommendation
of olaparib for treating a type of locally advanced or metastatic
breast cancer in final draft guidance
published today (9 January 2025).
NICE has recommended olaparib (also called Lynparza and made by
AstraZeneca) as an option for treating HER2-negative locally
advanced or metastatic breast cancer in adults with BRCA1 or
BRCA2 mutations who have had chemotherapy1. People with hormone
receptor positive breast cancer should also have had endocrine
therapy, unless endocrine therapy is not suitable.
NICE had originally begun looking at olaparib in 2018 but had to
end its appraisal because the company was unable to submit any
evidence.
Today's decision follows new assessments of the treatment's
effectiveness that have become available since NICE's original
appraisal was ended and builds on the commercial deal NHSE
negotiated with the company in 2023.
Clinical trial evidence shows that people who have olaparib have
longer before their cancer gets worse than people who have
further chemotherapy. NICE was able to assess olaparib using its
faster cost comparison process. To get a positive recommendation
the company needed to demonstrate that olaparib provides similar
or greater health benefits to talazoparib (which is recommended
by NICE for this population) at a similar or lower
cost.
Olaparib has not been directly compared with talazoparib in
clinical trials but an indirect comparison suggests that it is
likely to work as well as talazoparib.
Once the draft guidance becomes final next month it will mean
NICE will have made positive recommendations in 23 out of 24 of
its completed appraisals of breast cancer treatments since
2018.
Ends
References
1 An anthracycline and a taxane as neoadjuvant or adjuvant
treatment, or for metastatic disease, unless these are not
suitable.
