NICE consults on provisional decision to block NHS access to Pluvicto® (lutetium (177Lu) vipivotide tetraxetan) radioligand therapy for advanced prostate cancer

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is consulting on its initial decision that Pluvicto® should not be made available to patients on the NHS in England and Wales. This is because NICE’s review has concluded that the treatment is not sufficiently cost effective.  After the consultation closes on 2 November, NICE will consider the comments it receives before publishing a final decision in January 2023.

Pluvicto® is a targeted medicine that latches onto prostate cancer cells that are PMSA positive wherever they are in the body, delivering a radioactive payload that kills the cells.  It is suitable for patients with prostate specific membrane antigen (PMSA)-positive metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have been treated with androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibition and taxane-based chemotherapy. It can also be used to treat patients who are not suitable for chemotherapy.

Treatment with Pluvicto® can improve a patient’s quality of life, reduce the risk of death and reduce the risk of progression. Patients recieving this new treatment have reported that, in contrast to chemotherapy, it had little or no negative impact on their quality of life.

Anyone currently receiving Pluvicto® on the NHS will not be affected by NICE’s preliminary decision and will be able to continue with their treatment until they and their doctor consider it appropriate to stop.