Archived: cetuximab (Erbitux)

Advice

Following a full submission

cetuximab (Erbitux) is not recommended for use within NHS Scotland for the treatment of patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-expressing, KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with chemotherapy.

Outcomes for patients with KRAS wild-type disease were derived from retrospective, post hoc analyses of one phase ll and one phase lll study. Both these analyses showed an increase in overall response rate and a small, but statistically significant, increase in median progression free survival time when cetuximab was added to standard first-line chemotherapy.

The manufacturer did not present a sufficiently robust economic analysis to gain acceptance by SMC. The licence holder has indicated their intention to resubmit