NICE turns down Celgene's Revlimid as multiple myeloma maintenance treatment

The National Institute for Heath and Care Excellence (NICE) has turned down NHS funding of Celgene's Revlimid (lenalidomide) as maintenance treatment after an autologous stem cell transplant for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma in adults.

There is currently no maintenance treatment for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma in people who have had an autologous stem cell transplant; the condition is usually monitored until it gets worse.

Clinical trial results show that, compared with monitoring alone, Revlimid increases how long people live and also extends the time before the condition gets worse.

However, NICE has concluded in preliminary guidelines that cost-effectiveness estimates for the drug in this setting “are uncertain”.

“This is because of limitations in the cost-effectiveness model, and because the model might not reflect what happens in the NHS in England,” it said.

Therefore, Revlimid could not be considered value for money for the NHS when used for this indication, it noted.