Roche Breast Cancer Drug Fails to Win U.K. Backing
- U.K. cost adviser says evidence of long-term benefits needed
- Perjeta costs at least $10,500 depending on treatment cycles
The Roche Holding AG logo sits on the edge of a medication box next to tablets on a pharmacy counter in this arranged photograph in London, U.K., on Monday, Dec. 14, 2015. European pharmaceuticals stocks in 2015 have outperformed the Stoxx 600 Index by 1.2 percentage points in U.S. dollar terms.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergRoche Holding AG’s Perjeta treatment for breast cancer failed to win the backing of the U.K.’s health-cost adviser, the latest salvo in an ongoing struggle between Britain and the world’s biggest maker of cancer medicines over prices.
In draft guidelines published Friday, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said the medicine isn’t recommended for use with Roche’s Herceptin and chemotherapy before surgery when the cancer is locally advanced, inflammatory or at high risk of returning.