Lung cancer drug, Alimta rejected

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has rejected a drug for people suffering from asbestos-related cancer.

Nice issued the final guidance saying Alimta (pemetrexed) should not be prescribed on the NHS to people with locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.

Health experts say the drug cannot cure people with lung cancer, but it can boost their life expectancy.

Its manufacturer, Eli Lilly, had appealed against earlier guidance on the medication, but this has now failed. The company said around 230 patients would have benefited from taking the drug.

Nice chief executive Andrew Dillon said: "The independent appraisal committee was not persuaded that the evidence presented provided a robust demonstration of the clinical and cost effectiveness of pemetrexed compared with either docetaxel (Taxotere) or best supportive care, and therefore concluded that the drug is not an effective use of NHS resources."

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