NICE rejects Sanofi's Caprelsa (vandetanib) and Ipsen's Cometriq (cabozantinib) as cost effective treatments for thyroid cancer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) announced in draft guidance that it was not recommending Sanofi’s Caprelsa (vandetanib) or Ipsen’s Cometriq(cabozantinib) for routine use by the National Health Service. NICE said that while the drugs delay progression of advanced thyroid cancer, they may not actually prolong life and so are not cost-effective, despite discounts offered by the drugmakers. This is draft guidance, and the companies have time to provide further inputs.

Both Cometriq and Caprelsa are linked with substantial side effects, so are only used when the disease has become symptomatic and the benefits of treatment outweigh the burden of side effects. However, they are the only systemic treatments available and the only other option for patients at this stage of disease is best supportive care