Vol. 4 No. 5 (2024)
Reimbursement Recommendations

Cemiplimab (Libtayo)

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Published May 21, 2024

Key Messages

  • CADTH recommends that Libtayo in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy be reimbursed by public drug plans for the first-line treatment of adults with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumours have no EGFR, ALK, or ROS1 aberrations and is locally advanced where patients are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation, or for those with metastatic NSCLC, if certain conditions are met.
  • Libtayo in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy should only be covered to treat adults who have stage IIIB or IIIC NSCLC and are not suitable for curative surgery or definitive chemoradiation or have stage IV NSCLC and have not received prior systemic treatment. Patients’ tumours should have no EGFR, ALK, or ROS1 Patients should have a good performance status.
  • Libtayo should only be reimbursed in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy if prescribed by clinicians with expertise and experience in treating NSCLC. The treatment should be delivered in outpatient specialized oncology clinics with expertise in systemic therapy delivery and management of immunotherapy-related side effects. The price of Libtayo should be negotiated so that its use in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy does not exceed the total drug cost of treatment with the least costly immunotherapy reimbursed in the first-line setting.