Roche says Tarceva is cost-effective in study

Swiss drug major Roche says that a the results of a study indicate that its oral anticancer drug Tarceva (erlotinib), is cost effective as a second-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. The data, which were presented at the annual meeting of the British Thorasic Oncology Group in London, are from a trial that compared the product with docetaxel in terms of total cost and clinical time associated with the delivery of each treatment.

The firm explained that, on average, use of Tarceva resulted in a reduction per patient of 2.4 hours spent with hospital personnel, as well as a mean 4.1 hour drop in time in the chemotherapy administration chair, in comparison with docetaxal. The Basel-headquartered company added that, when these indirect costs are taken into consideration, its product is cost-effective, despite that fact that it is administered for an average of 24% longer than the standard treatment.

Roche said that the National Institute of Clinical Health and Excellence (NICE), the UK advisory body responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of drugs and clinical treatments in England and Wales, is currently assessing the product for both its clinical- and cost-effectiveness, and added that it expects a final decision in March.