Advice
Following a resubmission
bortezomib (Velcade®) is not recommended for use within NHS Scotland as mono-therapy for the treatment of progressive multiple myeloma in patients who have received at least one prior therapy and who have already undergone or are unsuitable for bone marrow transplantation.
Bortezomib, compared to high dose dexamethasone, prolonged time to disease progression by 2.7 months and improved survival in patients who had progressive multiple myeloma despite previous treatment with one to three lines of therapy. However, the manufacturer’s justification of the treatment’s cost in relation to its health benefits was not sufficient to gain acceptance by SMC and they did not present a sufficiently robust economic analysis.
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Medicine details
- Medicine name:
- bortezomib, 3.5mg vial of powder for solution for intravenous injection (Velcade)
- SMC ID:
- 302/06
- Indication:
- Multiple myeloma
- Pharmaceutical company
- Ortho Biotech
- BNF chapter
- Malignant disease and immunosuppression
- Submission type
- Resubmission
- Status
- Not recommended
- Date advice published
- 13 August 2007