Ipsen’s cabozantinib has been accepted by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for restricted use within NHS Scotland to treat adults with advanced neuroendocrine tumours (NETs).
NETs are rare, with a prevalence of seven per 100,000 people in Scotland. They typically develop slowly, and people living with NETs may require multiple lines of therapy as the disease progresses. Treatment options following progression are often limited and can vary depending on the primary tumour site and other factors, making it challenging to define the optimal sequencing of treatments.
“Neuroendocrine cancers can have a profound impact on people affected by the disease and those closest to them,” commented Lisa Walker, CEO of Neuroendocrine Cancer UK. “Neuroendocrine tumours, a type of neuroendocrine cancer, often grow at a different and frequently slower rate than many other cancers, including neuroendocrine carcinomas. As a result, symptoms may not appear in the earliest stages or may be mistaken for those of more common conditions, meaning diagnosis is often delayed until the disease is more advanced.”
The treatment is for adults with unresectable or metastatic, well-differentiated extra-pancreatic (epNET) and pancreatic (pNET) neuroendocrine tumours who have progressed following at least one prior systemic therapy other than somatostatin analogues.
The SMC decision was based on data from the phase 3 CABINET trial that investigated cabozantinib versus placebo in people living with advanced pNETS and epNETs who have progressed following at least one prior systemic therapy other than somatostatin analogues.
The trial demonstrated a 77% and 62% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death versus placebo for pNETs and epNETs, respectively.
“This recommendation by the SMC is a positive and welcome development for people living with advanced neuroendocrine tumours in Scotland,” commented Professor Nicholas Reed, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the Beatson Oncology Centre, Glasgow. “As an oral treatment, this may also reduce the need for patients to spend time in hospital.”
Cabozantinib is currently undergoing review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in this indication.