On April 23, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) announced its final decision to recommend coverage of Revlimid (lenalidomide) in England and Wales. NICE has endorsed Revlimid in combination with dexamethasone (Decadron) for the treatment of multiple myeloma in patients who have already received prior therapies.

Revlimid is a therapeutic agent that has often proven to be effective in the treatment of relapsed patients. Clinical trials report extended survival times and recession in signs and symptoms in the majority of patients.

In the U.K., NICE decides which treatments will be made available under the state-funded National Health Service (NHS). Revlimid has been unavailable to U.K. patients because of a decision by NICE to stop funding the drug due to its high cost. However earlier this year, NICE released a preliminary decision to once more fund Revlimid after Celgene Limited, the manufacturer of Revlimid, suggested a cost-sharing plan. Under this plan, the NHS will pay for the first 26 cycles of treatment. Celgene will cover any further cycles of treatment, which last approximately one month each.

With its preliminary and now final recommendations, NICE has determined that Revlimid is a cost effective use of the resources of the NHS.

Although multiple myeloma is still an incurable disease, Gareth Morgan, Professor of Haematology, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, is encouraged by the possible impact of this step. “New therapies like Revlimid are offering significant extensions of survival for patients and moving the disease toward becoming a chronic, manageable condition,” he told Pharmiweb. “[This] is a major step toward providing a critical new option for patients in the U.K.”

Eric Low, Chief Executive of Myeloma U.K., added, “This is a great win for myeloma patients. I applaud the efforts of the myeloma community, the manufacturer, NICE and the Department of Health in working together to allow access to Revlimid to patients who need it.”

For more information, please see the press release on Pharmiweb.