National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Backs Leukemia Drug Tasigna After Novartis AG Agrees to Discount

Leukaemia drug Tasigna has been backed by Britain's healthcare cost watchdog after its maker Novartis agreed to discount the treatment's cost of more than 30,000 pounds per patient per year. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) had previously rejected Tasigna, along with Bristol-Myers Squibb's similarly priced product Sprycel, for treating chronic myeloid leukaemia on the state-funded National Health Service. It also said in draft guidance in May that it was not able to recommend high-dose Glivec, another Novartis drug for chronic myeloid leukaemia, following a price increase.