NICE Issues Negative Preliminary Recommendation for Treatment in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Today, Celgene received a preliminary recommendation from NICE to not recommend Abraxane (paclitaxel formulated as albumin bound nanoparticles; nab-paclitaxel), in combination with gemcitabine, for use by NHS England for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. If this preliminary decision is upheld, it would mean that NICE has not recommended any new treatment for pancreatic cancer in over a decade.[i]

Professor David Cunningham, Consultant Medical Oncologist, said: “This is very disappointing news for both clinicians and patients, particularly considering the poor survival rates and the limited number of treatments that are currently being developed in pancreatic cancer. If this negative preliminary recommendation is upheld when a final appraisal determination is issued for Abraxane, it will mean that NICE has not recommended any new treatments for pancreatic cancer in well over a decade.”