Double approval from NICE increases NHS treatment options in England and Wales

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved the myeloma treatment lenalidomide (Revlimid®) and dexamethasone for use in treating newly diagnosed patients and patients at first relapse.
The decision means that lenalidomide and dexamethasone will now be available on the NHS to patients in England and Wales who are not eligible for a stem cell transplant and who are:

• Newly diagnosed and not able to receive thalidomide
• At first relapse (second line) and have been treated with bortezomib (Velcade®)

Patients in Wales were already able to access lenalidomide and dexamethasone when newly diagnosed; this approval extends access to patients at first relapse. Patients in Scotland are already able to access the treatment at these points in the pathway. Northern Ireland reviews NICE decisions once they are published.
These approvals follow a period where NICE suspended its consideration while the manufacturer, Celgene, and NHS England agreed a new discount scheme for lenalidomide.