Case for Kymriah not strong enough for adult funding, NICE says

Although Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) CAR-T therapy Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel-T) was accepted onto the UK’s Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) for children with a type of leukemia, adults with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have not yet been afforded the same treatment.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the cost-effectiveness watchdog for England and Wales, has asked for more evidence and feedback from Novartis and patient groups before making a final decision on whether to recommend Kymriah for National Health Service (NHS) funding for DLBCL.

Novartis had offered a confidential discount on the list price of £282,000 ($372,000), however, the cost-effectiveness estimates were still above the range that NICE considers an acceptable use of NHS resources.