Reason for request

New indication

Key points

Approval of reimbursement of KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in combination with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment, then continued as monotherapy as adjuvant treatment after surgery, for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced, or early-stage triple-negative breast cancer at high risk of recurrence.

Therapeutic improvement?

Therapeutic improvement in the care pathway.

Role in therapeutic strategy?

Due to the aggressive nature of the triple-negative breast cancer subtype, administration of a neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen has been recommended for over 10 years for patients with a large tumour (≥ 2 cm in the current ESMO European guidelines) and/or with lymph node involvement. The objective of treatment at the operable stage is to limit disease progression as early as possible, even before surgery, by reducing tumour size before the procedure and improving the complete histological response rate, in order to maximize chances of recovery and prevent recurrence or metastatic onset. Chemotherapy regimens combine a taxane (generally paclitaxel), and an anthracycline (doxorubicin or epirubicin + cyclophosphamide) used sequentially. Chemotherapy combinations without anthracycline appear to be inferior for triple-negative type tumours. Adding carboplatin to chemotherapy regimens with anthracycline and taxanes has shown an improvement in the probability of complete response for triple-negative type tumours.

Role of KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in the therapeutic strategy:

KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), in combination with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant, and then continued  as monotherapy as adjuvant treatment after surgery is the preferred treatment for locally advanced or early-stage triple-negative cancer with a high risk of recurrence.


Clinical Benefit

Substantial

The Committee deems that the actual clinical benefit of KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) is significant in the new marketing authorisation indication.


Clinical Added Value

minor

Considering evidence in a randomised double-blind study:

  • of a superiority of pembrolizumab on the primary outcome measures: complete histological response (64.8% in the pembrolizumab group versus 51.2% in the placebo group) and event-free survival with an HR of 0.63 (95%CI: [0.48; 0.82]),
  • the inability to draw a conclusion on an effect on overall survival due to the immaturity of the data available (ranked secondary outcome measure) or on quality of life (exploratory outcome measure),
  • the higher incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs) in the pembrolizumab + chemotherapy / pembrolizumab group compared to the placebo + chemotherapy / placebo group (43.6% and 28.5% respectively),

the Committee deems that, based on the data currently available, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) provides minor clinical added value (CAV IV) for the neoadjuvant and subsequently adjuvant treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or early-stage triple-negative breast cancer at high risk of recurrence.


Avis économique

Ce produit a fait l'objet d'un avis économique rendu par la Commission d'évaluation économique et de santé publique le 25 avril 2023. 

L’évaluation porte sur une indication superposable à l’indication de l’AMM obtenue le 19/05/2022 en procédure centralisée. 

La CEESP a été en mesure de conclure sur le niveau d’efficience du produit, avec un RDCR de 49 007 €/QALY versus CPAC, au prix de vente en vigueur et sur un horizon temporel de 40 ans.  

Au prix public du pembrolizumab, et selon les parts de marchés prévisionnelles envisagées par l’industriel, la mise à disposition du pembrolizumab dans la nouvelle indication revendiquée représente une augmentation des dépenses de l’assurance maladie de 167% dans cette indication, pour une population cible de 34 400 patients cumulés sur 5 ans.

> KEYTRUDA - Avis économique (pdf)

 

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