Bristol-Myers Asked to Seek Special Coverage for Opdivo in U.K.
- Opdivo not cost-effective for all lung-cancer patients: NICE
- Company advised to seek payment from U.K. Cancer Drugs Fund
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Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s Opdivo lung-cancer treatment isn’t cost-effective for all patients, and the company should seek to make it accessible to some through a special U.K. government program, the country’s health-cost regulator said.
Bristol-Myers should make a case to get Opdivo paid for by the Cancer Drugs Fund, which covers new therapies while information is collected on how well they work in practice, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, known as NICE, said in an e-mailed statement. The medicine’s potential should be explored in patients with certain levels of a protein involved in immune response to cancer, according to the statement, a draft of recommendations to the state-run National Health Service.