What has SMC said?
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted zolbetuximab used together with chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adults with gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (a type of cancer of the stomach or the junction between the food pipe and the stomach). It is used when the cancer is locally advanced (has spread to nearby tissues) and cannot be removed by surgery or is metastatic (has spread to other parts of the body). It is for use where the cancer cells do not have a lot of the HER2 protein (are HER2 negative) but have a lot of a protein called claudin 18.2 (are CLDN18.2 positive).
This document summarises the SMC decision and what it means for patients.
You can find more detailed information about the SMC assessment of zolbetuximab by looking at the SMC Detailed Advice Document (SMC2839).
What does SMC’s decision mean for patients?
Zolbetuximab for use as described above is available for prescribing on the NHS in Scotland. Your healthcare professional can discuss with you if it is the right treatment for you.
You can find more information about making decisions about your treatment here: Medicines in Scotland: What’s the right treatment for me?
More about SMC’s decision
SMC’s decision takes into account a confidential discount offered by the pharmaceutical company. SMC was also able to be more flexible in its decision-making because the medicine is for:
- A rare condition, and
- A condition where patients taking current treatments are likely to live less than 3 years.
How does SMC make its decision?
SMC carefully considers every new medicine to make sure it benefits patients and is likely to be a good use of NHS resources.
To do this SMC studies the following:
- Evidence from the company about how well the medicine works compared with current treatments available in Scotland, in relation to how much they will cost to buy and use to treat patients.
- Information from patient groups about the potential impact of the medicine on patients and carers.
- Advice from healthcare professionals about any benefits of the new medicine compared to current treatment, along with how the new medicine is likely to be used.
When SMC assesses a medicine it takes account of the needs of all patients in NHSScotland, not only those who may be treated with the medicine.
You can find out more about how SMC decides here: https://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/how-we-decide/
More information and support
The organisation below can provide more information and support for people living with stomach cancer and their families. SMC is not responsible for the content of any information provided by external organisations.
Stomach Cancer UK
https://www.stomachcanceruk.org
You can find out more about zolbetuximab (brand name: Vyloy®) in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) by searching for the medicine name on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) website.
https://products.mhra.gov.uk/