The Scottish Medicines Consortium has announced the approval for the use of Eli Lilly's Alimta for lung cancer and Janssen-Cilag's Stelara for psoriasis on the National Health Service.

The cost regulator for NHS Scotland revealed yesterday that it acknowledges the combination of Alimta (pemexetred) and cisplatin a cost-effective use of resources when used as a first-line treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but only in those with the adenocarcinoma or large cell carcinoma type.

Lung cancer forms Scotland's largest cancer killer engulfing over 4,000 deaths every year. However, the prognosis for patients with NSCLC is poor with an estimated survival of around six months from diagnosis, and just 20% are still alive after a year.

The clinical trials revealed a significant improvement in the overall survival with Alimta/cisplatin in patients with large cell carcinoma histology compared to the gold standard treatment of gemcitabine and cisplatin, and the combination was also better tolerated, an important factor in treatment.

Scottish cost watchdog is reported to have extended its approval for Janssen-Cilag's first-in-class biologic Stelara (ustekinumab) as a treatment for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.