Posted by Michael Wonder on 04 Sep 2017
Merck’s Erbitux backed by NICE for head and neck cancer
4 September 2017 - Merck’s Erbitux is being recommended for routine NHS use to treat recurrent or metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published final guidance backing the drug’s use to treat the condition, but only if the cancer started in the oral cavity and the company provides at the discount outlined in a confidential commercial access agreement with NHS England.
Erbitux (cetuximab) is the standard of care for patients with recurrent/metastatic cancer of the head/neck who have no treatment alternatives beyond chemotherapy, and oral cavity patients are recognised as a group with a particularly high unmet need, as they have a poorer prognosis than patients with tumours in other locations.
