Alectinib, also known as Alecensa, is recommended as an option for the treatment of stage 1B (tumours 4cm or larger) to 3A ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after surgery to completely remove the tumour.
The treatment is given as tablets, which are taken twice a day, and works by targeting cancer cells that have specific changes, called rearrangements, in the ALK gene.
Just under 100 people in England are eligible to receive this treatment.
Clinical trial evidence suggests people having alectinib after surgery are less likely to have their cancer come back than people having chemotherapy.
NICE has also today recommended pembrolizumab with chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant) then pembrolizumab alone after surgery (adjuvant) for treating resectable non-small-cell lung cancer.
Pembrolizumab, also known as Keytruda, is given as an infusion and is a monoclonal antibody which works by helping the person’s immune system to prevent the cancer from coming back.
Clinical trial evidence shows that, compared with placebo, pembrolizumab with platinum-based chemotherapy before surgery then pembrolizumab alone after surgery decreases the likelihood of an event that would stop people having surgery or the cancer coming back after surgery.
It also shows that people having pembrolizumab live longer than those having placebo.
It is estimated that just over 5,000 people in England would be eligible to receive this treatment.
NICE’s final draft guidance for this medicine is being published just over eight weeks after the treatment was granted its marketing authorisation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
