NICE has published an Appraisal Consultation Document (ACD) containing the Committee’s draft recommendation on the use of dasatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in people with imatinib intolerance in the NHS in England and Wales, alongside a summary of the evidence considered.

The preliminary recommendation is that dasatinib and nilotinib are not recommended for the treatment of CML in people for whom treatment with imatinib has failed because of intolerance.  The ACD comments that ‘the exceptionally high acquisition costs of dasatinib and nilotinib, taken together with the weak effectiveness evidence available, did not allow the Committee to consider dasatinib and/or nilotinib a cost-effective use of NHS resources in the imatinib-intolerant population’. 

The closing date for comments is 2nd March 2010 and the Committee will hold its third meeting on 9th March 2010.  Please see the link below for further details.

Dasatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of CML in people for whom treatment with imatinib has failed because of resistance will be appraised within a review of ‘Guidance on the use of imatinib for chronic myeloid leukaemia’ (NICE technology appraisal guidance 70), scheduled for later in 2010.