NICE recommends prostate cancer drug in draft guidance

The UK healthcare guidance body NICE has recommended that Medivation and Astellas' new prostate cancer drug should be used on the NHS.

The draft guidance recommends Xtandi (enzalutamide) as an option for treating hormone relapsed metastatic prostate cancer in adults, but only if their disease has progressed during or after 1 docetaxel-containing chemotherapy regimen and the manufacturer provides enzalutamide with the discount agreed in the patient access scheme.

"There are few treatments available for patients at this stage in their cancer so we are very pleased that we are able to produce draft guidance recommending enzalutamide. It is an effective treatment and it also allows patients to be treated at home as it can be taken orally."

Professor Carole Longson, Director, Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, NICE.

Consultees, including the manufacturer, healthcare professionals and members of the public are now able to comment on the preliminary recommendations, which are available for public consultation. Comments received during this consultation will be fully considered by the Committee and following this meeting the next draft guidance will be issued.

Until final guidance is issued, NHS bodies should make decisions locally on the funding of specific treatments. Once NICE issues its final guidance on a technology, it replaces local recommendations across the country.