Drug for advanced ovarian cancer does not offer value for money, Nice says

Nice has suggested a treatment for advanced ovarian cancer is not worth the cost.

A specific treatment for advanced ovarian cancer does not offer value for money to the National Health System, says the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).
Bevacizumab, from Roche and Avastin, will not be offered as part of state healthcare in Britain after Nice revealed it could "not be sure" the drug was effective for prolonging patients' lives.
In fact, the organisation claimed there was no evidence to suggest its benefits for patients supported the cost of the treatment, which is estimated to be just over £25,000 for one course of treatment for an average patient.
Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of Nice, explained that while the independent appraisal committee acknowledged that bevacizumab may prevent a patient's cancer from spreading for a few months, "it noted that clinical trial data was unavailable for around one in three trial participants".
This, he said, was possibly because the participants stopped the treatment, experienced side-effects or due to the fact they had been lost to follow-up.
Those already taking bevacizumab are able to continue their treatment until they agree with their clinician on a good time to stop.