First treatment for common bladder cancer recommended by NICE

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved erdafitinib (Balversa), a once-daily oral medication developed by Johnson & Johnson, for NHS use in treating adults with metastatic or unresectable urothelial cancer harboring FGFR3 genetic alterations.This marks the first targeted therapy available on the NHS for this common form of bladder cancer, which constitutes over 90% of cases.

Clinical trials demonstrated that erdafitinib extends overall survival from 7.8 to 12.1 months compared to standard chemotherapy. The treatment offers a significant advancement for patients who previously had limited options and poor responses to immunotherapy.

Erdafitinib was developed by the Newcastle University drug discovery team, Johnson & Johnson and Astex Pharmaceuticals with support from Cancer Research Horizons and Cancer Research UK. 

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