Takeda Uk Ltd

HIGH WYCOMBE, England, July 9, 2010 - - In a draft appraisal the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has refused to recommend the first treatment shown to improve survival in childhood bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in more than 20 years(1,2) - Data shows Mepact(R) (mifamurtide) reduces the risk of death by almost one third when added to standard chemotherapy treatment, compared with chemotherapy alone(3) - Using Mepact(R) with standard chemotherapy treatment after surgery has the potential to save an additional eight lives each year(3-5) - NICE has refused to fund lifesaving treatment for children that could only cost GBP2.5 million,(6) when the NHS spends over GBP700 million on treating preventable lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, smoking and alcoholism(7-10) - Between half and one-third of patients receiving standard chemotherapy treatment will not survive beyond five years(5) Takeda UK announces that in its draft appraisal the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) does not recommend the use of Mepact(R) for the treatment of bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in children, adolescents and young adults.(1) This comes following NICE's inability to recommend Mepact(R) due to its strict criteria for cost-effectiveness - which does not currently accommodate the assessment of rare, ultra orphan diseases - and despite the fact that Mepact(R) meets many of the criteria for 'Deviating from the Threshold' by the NICE Citizen's Council reviewed by the NICE Board on 20 May 2009.(11) This stated that if the treatment in question is life saving, the patients are children, the intervention will have a major impact on patient's family and the illness is extremely severe and/or rare, then the medicine is of additional value to society and shouldn't have to meet NICE's current cost-effectiveness criteria.(11) In these conditions, Mepact(R) meets all of these criteria.