James Raftery: Value based pricing – the consultation paper

The publication of the Department of Health’s consultation paper on value based pricing and the ongoing consultation on the Cancer Drugs Fund plus each consultation’s accompanying impact assessment mean that it is now possible to see what is being proposed. This blog looks at the essentials of value based pricing; later blogs will deal with […]

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James Raftery on bevacizumab for metastatic colorectal cancer

Roche’s bevacizumab (Avastin) is in the news again. This has a reasonable claim to be a wonder drug, but for macular degeneration, a disease for which Roche refuses to license it. Instead Roche has tried and failed several times to have the drug recommended by NICE for lung, breast, and colorectal cancer, all at an […]

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NICE and the influenza antivirals for healthy adults – No, again and again and again

NICE’s  latest technology appraisal of the  flu antiviral drugs (amantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir), published in February 2009  marks the sixth time these drugs have been considered. The timelines are  shown below. […]

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James Raftery: End of life drugs – what premium? Pt 2

Having recommended NHS use of sunitinib for renal cancer, the appraisal committee of the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued separate draft guidance for consultation, recommending against the use of bevacizumab, sorafenib, and temsirolimus, which – along with sunitinib – had been rejected for renal cancer in 2008. […]

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James Raftery: End of life drugs—what premium? Pt 1

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the UK drugs watchdog, is currently appraising the use of four drugs—bevacizumab, sorafenib, sunitinib, and temsirolimus—for the treatment of advanced or metastatic renal cell cancer. NICE has decided to split this appraisal in two, in order to get guidance out to the NHS as quickly as […]

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