The Northern Echo (KC) 15-Aug-08
From Kidney Cancer Resource
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Cancer patients will continue to receive Sutent
By Barry Nelson
NORTH-EAST health bosses say newly referred kidney cancer patients will continue to receive an expensive drug for the time being.
The reassurance from the North of England Cancer Network came after Wednesday’s announcement of draft guidance rejecting four new cancer drugs.
The drugs watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has turned down Sutent, Avastin, Nexavar and Torisel as being too expensive for the NHS.
The watchdog’s final guidance on the four drugs is expected in January.
But their verdict on the drugs – particularly Sutent – has been condemned by charities and cancer consultants, who said there was no effective alternative to drugs such as Sutent, which can help sufferers live longer and improve their quality of life.
Experts said the ruling meant that England is falling behind the rest of Europe in terms of the availability of new cancer drugs.
Last year, following a campaign by The Northern Echo, the group that advises North- East primary care trusts on which drugs to fund ruled that Sutent should be available to suitable NHS patients.
It means the North-East is one of the few places in England where patients with advanced kidney cancer can get Sutent on the NHS.
Yesterday, the network issued a statement.
Steve Williamson, a consultant pharmacist in cancer services for the North of England Cancer Network, said: “The announcement from Nice is draft guidance, so we would like to reassure patients in the North-East who are currently receiving Sutent for renal carcinoma – a form of kidney cancer – that they will continue to have this treatment.
“Consultant oncologists who see new kidney cancer patients and consider that they will gain a clinical benefit from Sutent can also continue to prescribe the drug.
We will review the position once Nice issues final guidance.
“If patients have any concerns, they are advised to discuss treatment options with their consultant oncologist.”
Harpal Kumar, the chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “Possible solutions include looking at the way that pharmaceutical companies are charging the NHS for drugs, and whether appropriate allowances are being made by Nice to compensate for the lack of large-scale trials in these areas.”
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