Cancer sufferers to be denied drug on NHS

Another story today - this time from the Daily Mail - of NHS patients being denied the drugs they need on grounds of cost.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has rejected the drug Erbitux (also known as cetuximab) for cancer sufferers in England and Wales.

Campaigners said the move was a blow to patients as the drug is the first one licensed in the last 40 years for treating locally advanced head and neck cancer.

In January, Nice also rejected an appeal from charities over its decision to reject Erbitux for bowel cancer patients.

Today's decision covers using Erbitux in combination with radiotherapy for the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer.

Nice chief executive, Andrew Dillon, said: "The evidence presented to the independent advisory committee did not persuade them that cetuximab works any better or offers better therapeutic value than existing treatments for head and neck cancer.

"The NHS has finite resources and it is our job to ensure that these are spent on treatments that confer enough of a benefit to patients in relation to the amount of money they cost."

Erbitux plus radiotherapy increases the average survival for patients from 29 months to 49 compared to patients who receive radiotherapy on its own.

More than 7,800 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer in the UK every year. Today's announcement comes after a Swedish study published earlier this month showed that the UK has one of the worst records over access to new cancer drugs.

Experts ranked the UK in the bottom group for its "slow and low" uptake of drugs after analysing sales in 25 countries.

Dr Vinod Joshi, from the Mouth Cancer Foundation, said: "This is an extremely sad day for people living with locally advanced head and neck cancer in England and Wales.

"Nice has effectively denied them this new treatment option for a chance to live longer.

"There is now a postcode lottery as the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has approved not only cetuximab but also docetaxel (another head and neck cancer drug) for Scottish patients."

Christine Piff, chief executive of the head and neck cancer support group Let's Face It, said: "I am devastated by the news. Head and neck cancer continues to be the Cinderella cancer, receiving little or no attention from the NHS.

"It is scandalous when you consider the emphasis placed on other cancers. Why shouldn't people suffering from head and neck cancer have access to a drug that is prescribed in Scotland?"

Dr Nick Slevin, consultant oncologist at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, added: "The decision from Nice ignores the complexities and pragmatism of clinical practice.

"I have no doubt that cetuximab with radiotherapy is the correct treatment option for some patients.

"Head and neck cancer management is not black and white and I believe this decision is discriminatory against a group of patients who don't carry the same political influence as others."

Denise Richard, head of the oncology business unit at manufacturers Merck Serono UK, said: "We are seriously considering all of our options with regards appealing this decision since we strongly believe that patients in England and Wales deserve to have access to the same standards of care as those in Scotland and the rest of Europe."