(Bloomberg) -- Roche Holding AG's Tecentriq was rejected by the U.K.'s health-cost overseer for treatment of late-stage lung cancer.
Adding the Roche drug to conventional treatments doesn't meet standards for cost-effectiveness, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said in draft guidance published on its website. The agency estimates the average cost of a course of lung cancer treatment with Tecentriq at about 32,800 pounds ($43,100).
Approved by U.S. and European regulators, Tecentriq is one of a group of immune system stimulating drugs that are battling for ascendancy in the treatment of lung cancer, the world's most common and deadly tumor. While the addition of Tecentriq to standard therapy extends patient survival, it's not considered a cost-effective use of the national health system's resources, NICE said.
England's National Health Service, which offers care to all citizens, has tried to control spending through tough negotiations with drugmakers. Roche Chief Executive Officer Severin Schwan has slammed the U.K. drug watchdog for its approach to evaluation, saying that it discourages innovation and needs to be overhauled.
NICE will issue its final guidance on Tecentriq after considering comments from the public. An appraisal committee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 18.
Swiss markets were closed Tuesday ahead of the New Year.
To contact the reporter on this story: John Lauerman in London at jlauerman@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Eric Pfanner at epfanner1@bloomberg.net, Thomas Pfeiffer, Andrew Noël
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