Just over 700 people in England would
be eligible to benefit from this new treatment option which will
now be made available for routine use in the NHS from
today.
NICE's final draft guidance recommends
teclistamab, also known as Tecvayli and made by Johnson &
Johnson Innovative Medicine, for adults with relapsed and
refractory multiple myeloma, who have received at least three
lines of treatment, including an immunomodulatory agent, a
proteasome inhibitor, and an anti-CD38 antibody and whose cancer
had progressed on their last
treatment.
Teclistamab is given as an injection
under the skin, either in the abdomen or
thigh.
It is a targeted antibody, which has
been designed to recognise and attach to both cancer cells and
the T-cells of a person's immune system to bring those cells
together so the person's immune system can destroy the cancer
cells.
An indirect comparison suggests it
could increase how long people have before their cancer gets
worse and how long they
live.
Draft guidance previously recommended
teclistamab only as an alternative to pomalidomide plus
dexamethasone as the company initially only provided evidence
comparing teclistamab to this alternative. During consultation
Johnson & Johnson provided additional analysis demonstrating
cost effectiveness in comparison to two other treatments. This
has allowed the committee to now recommend teclistamab for a
wider group of people.
Multiple myeloma, also known as
myeloma, is a blood cancer that affects bone marrow. There is
currently no cure for the disease, only treatments to stop the
progress of the condition and help relieve symptoms.
Complications of the cancer can be significant, debilitating and
painful.
NICE's independent appraisal committee
agreed that a severity modifier could be applied in recognition
of the condition's severity. This allows NICE to give extra
weight to important health benefits from new medicines in a way
that matches the evidence that people place more value on
treating the most severe diseases like multiple
myeloma.
You can read the full final draft
guidance for teclistamab for treating relapsed and refractory
multiple myeloma after three or more treatments on the
NICE website.
