Britain’s NICE Recommends That Bavencio Be Covered for Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Overview

Britain’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that the National Health Service cover Bavencio (avelumab) as a treatment for adults with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC), a rare form of skin cancer. The institute’s Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) recommends Bavencio for health service coverage in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the treatment of adult mMCC patients, if they have had one or more lines of chemotherapy for a metastatic disease. Patients with untreated mMCC in England can obtain access to Bavencio through the Cancer Drugs Fund. Now patients in Wales will be able to access it through the New Treatment Fund (NTF), which covers all treatments that NICE recommends. In Scotland, confirmation of coverage is awaited, with a decision expected in the first half of 2018.