Sanofi’s Jevtana drug was rejected by the U.K.’s health-cost agency as a treatment for prostate cancer in patients for whom an older medicine didn’t work. While Jevtana extends life, it’s also associated with side effects including anemia and diarrhea, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence said in an e-mail announcing the decision. The agency, which advises the U.K.’s National Health Service on medicines, had issued a preliminary decision Sept. 30. “Once these factors had been taken into account, the independent committee appraising this drug concluded that it would not provide enough health benefit to justify its cost, which means it would not be a cost-effective use of NHS resources,” Andrew Dillon, NICE’s chief executive officer, said in the statement.
