Considerable Additional Benefit of Eisai's Halaven® (eribulin) in Advanced Liposarcoma Confirmed by the German Federal Joint Committee (G-BA)

HATFIELD, England, December 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

FOR EMEA MEDIA ONLY: NOT FOR SWISS/AUSTRIAN JOURNALISTS   

Eribulin has shown unprecedented survival benefit in advanced liposarcoma in pivotal phase III trial^[1]  

The German Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has confirmed the considerable additional benefit for Halaven^® (eribulin) compared to dacarbazine in the treatment of unresectable advanced or metastatic liposarcoma.^[2] In its assessment, the G-BA found the data for mortality, symptoms and quality of life, which showed an additional benefit over the appropriate comparator, to be decisive. With its decision, the G-BA did not follow the recommendation of the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) - put forward in September this year - to not grant an additional benefit based on formal grounds only which resulted in the IQWiG not evaluating the clinical data provided by Eisai initially. In contrast, the G-BA judged the substantial survival benefit eribulin offers to patients with advanced liposarcoma to be a clinically relevant and considerable improvement of the therapy-relevant benefit.^[2]

Eribulin is indicated in the European Union for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable liposarcoma who have received prior anthracycline containing therapy (unless unsuitable) for advanced or metastatic disease.^[3]

Liposarcomas are one of the most common subtypes of soft tissue sarcomas (STS).^[4],[5] STS develop from cells in essential tissues such as muscle, nerves, fibrous tissues and blood,^[6] with liposarcomas arising from fat cells and potentially occurring anywhere in the body.^[6]

"It is very encouraging that the G-BA has recognised the benefit eribulin offers to patients with advanced liposarcoma. Given the limited treatment options for this condition, new and effective therapies are urgently needed. Eribulin clearly addresses this need as it has demonstrated a statistically significant and relevant survival advantage over dacarbazine, an established and internationally accepted treatment option for advanced soft tissue sarcoma," comments Prof. Dr. Viktor Grünwald, Klinik für Hämatologie, Hämostaseologie, Onkologie und Stammzelltransplantation, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover.