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Important Updates to the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium™ Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., September 10, 2008 — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network, (NCCN), announces important updates to the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium™ Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. The following changes relate to use in the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and are as follows:

• Cetuximab (Erbitux, Bristol-Myers Squibb/ImClone Systems Incorporated) - First-line therapy for recurrence or metastasis in combination with vinorelbine and cisplatin for performance status 0-2 patients at least 18 years of age with NSCLC IIIB (pleural effusion)/IV, EGFR expression by immunohistochemistry (at least 1 positive tumor cell), no known brain metastases, and no prior chemotherapy or anti-EGFR therapy.
• Paclitaxel, albumin bound (Abraxane, Abraxis Oncology/AstraZeneca) – Albumin-bound paclitaxel may be substituted for either paclitaxel or docetaxel in patients who have experienced hypersensitivity reactions after receiving paclitaxel or docetaxel despite premedication, or for patients in whom standard hypersensitivity premedications are contraindicated.
• Pemetrexed (Alimta, Eli Lilly & Company) - First-line therapy for recurrence or metastasis in combination with cisplatin for performance status 0-1 patients with nonsquamous cell histology.
• Pemetrexed (Alimta, Eli Lilly & Company) - Maintenance therapy until disease progression in performance status 0-2 patients with nonsquamous cell histology who have achieved tumor response or stable disease following recurrence or metastases.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and UnitedHealthcare have both announced that the NCCN Compendium is a reference used as a basis for coverage determinations. Other private payors are also using the NCCN Compendium. NCCN deems all indications for all drugs listed and recommended in the NCCN Compendium as medically accepted, medically appropriate, and medically necessary. In its June 5, 2008 decision, CMS stated: Indications that the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium™ lists as Recommended will be considered medically accepted indications for the purposes of determining coverage policy.

Recommendations in the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium™ are derived directly from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™. The NCCN Guidelines are widely accepted and applied as the standard for clinical policy in oncology. Visit www.nccn.org for the latest updates to the NCCN Compendium and the NCCN Guidelines.