Cancer experts accuse watchdog

Leading UK cancer experts have accused a health watchdog of forcing patients to remortgage their homes to afford treatments freely vailable in Europe.

The group of 26 professors were "dismayed" at guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) to deny patients four kidney cancer drugs on the NHS.

They said the decision showed it was time for a "radical change" in how the NHS makes decisions on what treatments are available for cancer sufferers.

Earlier this month Nice issued draft guidance rejecting the drugs Sutent (sunitinib), Avastin (bevacizumab), Nexavar (sorafenib) and Torisel (temsirolimus).

In a letter to the Sunday Times, the consultants said: "We are dismayed at the decision by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) on the rationing of drugs for patients with advanced kidney cancer."

The Nice draft guidance, which is subject to appeal, rejects the drugs, saying they are not cost effective for patients with advanced and/or metastatic kidney cancer.

The medicines do not cure the cancer but extend a person's life by a matter of months.

But the professors wrote: "Once again Nice has shown how poorly it assesses new cancer treatments.

"Its economic formulae are simply not suitable for addressing cost effectiveness in this area of medicine.

"Mean survivals obscure the fact that some patients will obtain prolonged benefit from these drugs."

Share this article

Send this article to a friend »

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Reddit
• Facebook
• StumbleUpon

What are these?