Bladder Cancer: Durvalumab

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether new medicines should be funded by the National Health Service based on their costs and benefits. Wherever possible, NICE aims to align its processes with the regulatory process so that final guidance is published at, or around, the time that the treatment is granted a licence. The NHS in England is required to fund treatments recommended by NICE, normally within three months of guidance, and cancer medicines are eligible for funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of a positive draft recommendation.

NICE has four relevant technology appraisals in development or awaiting development currently: Durvalumab for neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer, with development expected to start in April 2025 and earliest publication date February 2026; Durvalumab with enfortumab vedotin for neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer when cisplatin is unsuitable, with development expected to start in October 2026 and earliest publication date August 2027; Durvalumab with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) for treating high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer after resection of papillary tumours in people previously untreated with BCG, with timelines for this appraisal still to be confirmed as NICE is awaiting an update from the company regarding its preferred submission date; and Durvalumab with tremelimumab and chemotherapy for treating unresectable or advanced urothelial cancer, with development expected to start in January 2026 and earliest publication date October 2026.