UK Drug Body Backs Thalidomide, Velcade In Multiple Myeloma

[Guest guest]

LONDON (Dow )--The U.K.'s health-care cost-effectiveness body Wednesday backed publicly funded use of Celgene Corp.'s (CELG) thalidomide and & 's (JNJ) bortezomib on the National Health Service for treating a type of bone marrow cancer called multiple myeloma.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, or NICE, said in final guidance it approved thalidomide in first-line treatment of multiple myeloma in people for whom high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell transplantation is considered inappropriate.

NICE also backed bortezomib, whose brand name is Velcade, in combination with an alkylating agent and a corticosteroid for first-line treatment of multiple myeloma if high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell transplantation is considered inappropriate and the person is unable to tolerate or has contraindications to thalidomide.

Carole Longson, health technology evaluation center director at NICE, said in a statement, "We are delighted to be able to recommend these two new treatment options for people with this condition.

"Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that develops from cells in the bone marrow; almost 4,000 cases are diagnosed every year in the U.K. There is currently no cure for the disease, only treatments to stop the progress of the condition and help relieve symptoms.

"Thalidomide and bortezomib regimens have been shown to be more effective at delaying disease progression and improving patients' life expectancy than the current treatment of an alkylating agent and corticosteroid alone."

-By Sten Stovall, Dow Newswires; +44 207 842 9292; sten.stovall@...

[Guest guest]

LONDON (Dow )--The U.K.'s health-care cost-effectiveness body Wednesday backed publicly funded use of Celgene Corp.'s (CELG) thalidomide and & 's (JNJ) bortezomib on the National Health Service for treating a type of bone marrow cancer called multiple myeloma.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, or NICE, said in final guidance it approved thalidomide in first-line treatment of multiple myeloma in people for whom high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell transplantation is considered inappropriate.

NICE also backed bortezomib, whose brand name is Velcade, in combination with an alkylating agent and a corticosteroid for first-line treatment of multiple myeloma if high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell transplantation is considered inappropriate and the person is unable to tolerate or has contraindications to thalidomide.

Carole Longson, health technology evaluation center director at NICE, said in a statement, "We are delighted to be able to recommend these two new treatment options for people with this condition.

"Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that develops from cells in the bone marrow; almost 4,000 cases are diagnosed every year in the U.K. There is currently no cure for the disease, only treatments to stop the progress of the condition and help relieve symptoms.

"Thalidomide and bortezomib regimens have been shown to be more effective at delaying disease progression and improving patients' life expectancy than the current treatment of an alkylating agent and corticosteroid alone."

-By Sten Stovall, Dow Newswires; +44 207 842 9292; sten.stovall@...

[Guest guest]

LONDON (Dow )--The U.K.'s health-care cost-effectiveness body Wednesday backed publicly funded use of Celgene Corp.'s (CELG) thalidomide and & 's (JNJ) bortezomib on the National Health Service for treating a type of bone marrow cancer called multiple myeloma.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, or NICE, said in final guidance it approved thalidomide in first-line treatment of multiple myeloma in people for whom high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell transplantation is considered inappropriate.

NICE also backed bortezomib, whose brand name is Velcade, in combination with an alkylating agent and a corticosteroid for first-line treatment of multiple myeloma if high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell transplantation is considered inappropriate and the person is unable to tolerate or has contraindications to thalidomide.

Carole Longson, health technology evaluation center director at NICE, said in a statement, "We are delighted to be able to recommend these two new treatment options for people with this condition.

"Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that develops from cells in the bone marrow; almost 4,000 cases are diagnosed every year in the U.K. There is currently no cure for the disease, only treatments to stop the progress of the condition and help relieve symptoms.

"Thalidomide and bortezomib regimens have been shown to be more effective at delaying disease progression and improving patients' life expectancy than the current treatment of an alkylating agent and corticosteroid alone."

-By Sten Stovall, Dow Newswires; +44 207 842 9292; sten.stovall@...

[Guest guest]

LONDON (Dow )--The U.K.'s health-care cost-effectiveness body Wednesday backed publicly funded use of Celgene Corp.'s (CELG) thalidomide and & 's (JNJ) bortezomib on the National Health Service for treating a type of bone marrow cancer called multiple myeloma.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, or NICE, said in final guidance it approved thalidomide in first-line treatment of multiple myeloma in people for whom high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell transplantation is considered inappropriate.

NICE also backed bortezomib, whose brand name is Velcade, in combination with an alkylating agent and a corticosteroid for first-line treatment of multiple myeloma if high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell transplantation is considered inappropriate and the person is unable to tolerate or has contraindications to thalidomide.

Carole Longson, health technology evaluation center director at NICE, said in a statement, "We are delighted to be able to recommend these two new treatment options for people with this condition.

"Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that develops from cells in the bone marrow; almost 4,000 cases are diagnosed every year in the U.K. There is currently no cure for the disease, only treatments to stop the progress of the condition and help relieve symptoms.

"Thalidomide and bortezomib regimens have been shown to be more effective at delaying disease progression and improving patients' life expectancy than the current treatment of an alkylating agent and corticosteroid alone."

-By Sten Stovall, Dow Newswires; +44 207 842 9292; sten.stovall@...