Addressing ASCO’s Assessment of Net Health Benefit Score for Alimta

July 2015, Vol 6, No 6
Sue Mahony, PhD
Senior Vice President, Lilly, and President, Lilly Oncology, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN

We understand that the financial sustainability of cancer care is a serious issue as cancer diagnoses around the world continue to rise. We commend those organizations seeking to address the issue of value in cancer care, which is an incredibly difficult, multifaceted challenge.

Delivering full value in cancer care means, above all, ensuring access to effective cancer treatments that respond to the needs and qualities of individual patients. Not all patients are the same; cancer stage, prognosis, age, genetic makeup, insurance coverage, priorities, preferences, and support systems are just some of the variables that set patients apart.

The methods for assessing value must be held to rigorous standards, and must be defined by the entire cancer community to safeguard individual patient needs and autonomy in their care decision-making, as well as to acknowledge the value that new medicines bring to patients, the economy, and society.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) initial value framework did not reflect the current FDA-approved label for pemetrexed (Alimta).1 The 2 types of histologies in non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are squamous and nonsquamous. We studied Alimta broadly in patients with both histologies, and we learned that it benefits only patients with nonsquamous histology, which is what its current approved FDA label is based on. ASCO based its original assessment of Alimta on squamous and nonsquamous histologies, which resulted in a net health benefit score that does not reflect the value that this drug offers patients with nonsquamous NSCLC.1

We contacted ASCO to ensure that physicians and patients have the most accurate information regarding this therapy when making treat­ment decisions. ASCO was open to hearing our concerns, and we worked together to find a solution. We are pleased that ASCO has published an addendum for pemetrexed per our FDA-approved patient population, which has been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.1




Reference

  1. Schnipper LE, Davidson NE, Wollins DS, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology statement: a conceptual framework to assess the value of cancer treatment options. J Clin Oncol. 2015 Jun 22. Epub ahead of print. Updated July 7, 2015.

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