NICE recommends acalabrutinib for mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Hundreds of people are set to benefit as NICE recommends acalabrutinib for newly diagnosed mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. MCL is a rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is considered incurable with current treatments and often comes back. Many people are diagnosed when the disease is at an advanced stage and often are not well enough to have a stem cell transplant, which limits their options. Clinical evidence showed that adding acalabrutinib to bendamustine and rituximab significantly increased the time before the condition worsened to 72.5 months, compared with 47.8 months for standard treatment alone. A patient expert involved in the evaluation told the independent committee about the shock and