NICE recommends drug for men with advanced hormone-dependent prostate cancer and spinal metastases

NICE has recommended degarelix (Firmagon) for a group of men with advanced hormone-dependent prostate cancer – those with spinal metastases. This announcement comes after a review process lasting over three years, and follows NICE’s most recent draft Appraisal Consultation Document (ACD) published in June 2015, which recommended against the use of degarelix within its marketing authorisation for treating advanced hormone-dependent prostate cancer. Degarelix was first approved by the European Medicines Agency for men with advanced hormone-dependent prostate cancer in 2009, and has been available in the UK since 2010. The ongoing changes to NICE’s guidance since then have resulted in great variations in access to degarelix across