Sutent receives NICE recommendation

NICE has recommended Pfizer’s sunitinib (Sutent) as first-line therapy for kidney cancer. The drug, which was initially rejected on cost-effectiveness grounds in August 2008, can be used in patients in England who have either advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma or both, as long as they are suitable for immunotherapy and are well enough to tolerate it. The drug can also be considered for renal cell carcinoma in patients who are having or have had interferon-alpha or interleukin-2 before these final recommendations.