NHS gets approval to prescribe breast cancer drug in HER2 positive cancer after high-profile campaigning by patients
Breast cancer drug Herceptin is to be made available to NHS patients, following approval by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
The decision by NICE means that women with early-stage breast cancer will gain access to the drug, which targets the HER2 protein that can fuel tumours.
An appeal by Newbury and Community Primary Care Trust, which raised concerns over treatment length and cost effectiveness, was rejected by NICE. The approval follows a high-profile campaign by patients and charities for the drug to be made available.
Andrew Dillon, NICE chief executive, said its assessment showed that Herceptin was clinically and cost effective for women with HER2-positive early breast cancer. "We plan to continue appraising certain technologies rapidly and close to when they are licensed, for the benefit of the NHS, patients and their carers," he said.
Insurers welcomed the news and denied that NHS provision of the drug would harm demand for private cover. "We don't think this development will have much impact on demand for medical insurance - indeed, insurers can and do pay for licensed cancer treatments that the NHS doesn't fund, such as Avastin and Erbitux for treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer," said Ben Faulkner, spokesperson for Axa PPP Healthcare.
In a separate development, a new study has found that more than 50% of women taking medication for breast cancer have either forgotten or chosen not to take their drugs at some point during their treatment.
The study by Cancer Research UK, based on interviews with 131 women, found that reasons given for not taking medication included finding tablets difficult to swallow and side effects such as hot flushes.
Professor John Troy, medical director at Cancer Research UK, said the results were concerning. "It is vital that women do not deny themselves the chance of maximum possible benefit from their medication. It is important that women are as well informed as possible about both the benefits and side effects so they know what to expect."
