U.K. NICE RECOMMENDS ANTICANCER AGENT HALAVEN® AS TREATMENT FOR ADVANCED BREAST CANCER

Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, CEO: Haruo Naito, “Eisai”) announced today that its in-house developed anticancer agent Halaven® (eribulin mesylate, “eribulin”) has been recommended by the U.K. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as a treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have received at least two chemotherapeutic regimens for advanced disease (prior therapy may have included an anthracycline or a taxane, and capecitabine) in NICE’s Final Appraisal Determination (FAD). Eribulin is the first breast cancer treatment to be recommended by NICE since 2007.
Following the issue of the FAD by NICE, eribulin will be eligible for reimbursement for this indication via the National Health Service in England (NHS England).

The Appraisal Committee considered that the models suggest Eribulin offers a mean overall survival benefit of more than 3 months. According to the FAD, “In light of the short life expectancy at this stage of breast cancer, the committee considered this overall survival benefit to be substantial. The committee concluded that eribulin met the end-of-life criteria objectively and robustly and that it can be considered a life-extending, end-of-life treatment.”

Eribulin was approved in Europe in March 2011 as a treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have received at least two chemotherapeutic regimens for advanced disease. Prior therapy should have included an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting. The agent was launched in the U.K. in April 2011. Furthermore, eribulin was approved in June 2014 for an expanded indication to include patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have progressed after at least one chemotherapeutic regimen for advanced disease (prior therapy should have included an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting, unless patients were not suitable for these treatments).

Eisai regards oncology as a key therapeutic area and is aiming to discover revolutionary new medicines with the potential to cure cancer. Eisai remains committed to providing further clinical evidence and expanding patient access for eribulin, and by maximizing the value of the drug, seeks to contribute further to addressing the diverse needs of, and increasing the benefits provided to, patients with cancer, their families, and healthcare providers.