UK cost agency turns down Bristol immunotherapy for lung cancer

LONDON (Reuters) – Bristol-Myers Squibb’s closely watched new drug Opdivo, one of the first of a new wave of cancer medicines that boost the immune system, has been rejected as too expensive for treating lung cancer by Britain’s cost watchdog.

In draft guidance issued on Wednesday, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said using Opdivo in non-small cell lung cancer after chemotherapy did not represent a cost-effective use of resources.

The drugmaker said the NICE decision was “deeply disappointing”.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler. Editing by Jane Merriman)

• Health
• Pharmaceuticals Drug Trials
• lung cancer
• Bristol-Myers Squibb