Response to Letter to the Editor Regarding “Abiraterone Acetate for the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Naïve Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: An Evidence Review Group Perspective of a NICE Single Technology Appraisal”

We very much appreciate the interest Reifsnider et al. [1] have taken in our perspective on the single technology appraisal (STA) of abiraterone acetate (tradename Zytiga) plus prednisolone (AAP) acetate for the treatment of chemotherapynaı ¨ve metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) prepared for the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) [2, 3]. Here, we respond to the aspects highlighted by Reifsnider et al. [1] and correct factual inaccuracies in their reasoning. The main issues are printed in italics [1]. These points relate to (1) the statistical significance of the COU-AA-302 survival results and (2) the justification of the discrete-event simulation (DES) approach utilised by the company. Reifsnider et al. also highlight aspects that are unrelated to these main points, and we discuss these separately.

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article Abiraterone Acetate for the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Naïve Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: An Evidence Review Group Perspective of an NICE Single Technology Appraisal B.L.T. Ramaekers (Bram), R. Riemsma (Rob), F. Tomini, Deshpande, S, Duffy, S, N. Armstrong (Nigel), J.L. Severens (Hans), J.M.P. Kleijnen (Jos) and M.A. Joore (Manuela)