New hepatitis C therapy approved in UK

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published new draft guidance for Novartis' Zykadia and AbbVie's Maviret, The Pharma Times reports.

Zykadia (Ceritinib) has been recommended as a treatment option for adults with untreated ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer. The Institute noted that the drug is only recommended at a confidential discounted price agreed with Novartis. Last year, NICE recommended Zykadia as an option for previously treated ALK-positive lung cancer patients. The body already recommends Pfizer's Xalkori (crizotinib) in both these populations.

Meanwhile, Maviret (Glecaprevir-pibrentasvir) has been recommended for adults with chronic hepatitis C. The treatment is an additional option suitable for all genotypes, with or without scarring of the liver (known as compensated cirrhosis), and in people who are untreated or have been treated before with interferon-based treatment.

Earlier this year, NICE recommended Gilead's Epclusa (sofosbuvir-velpatasvir) as the first all-oral, single tablet regimen cleared for the treatment of adults all genotypes of hepatitis C.