Breast cancer drugs blocked from NHS
14 February 2012
Two more cancer drugs have been provisionally banned for NHS use after it was decided they were too expensive for the potential results.
In its draft guidance the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) ruled that lapatinib or trastuzumab should not be prescribed for a particular type and stage of breast cancer.
Nice explained it was uncertain of the extent to which the drugs can improve overall survival compared to existing treatments and that they did not appear to represent value for money for the NHS.
Estimates by the manufacturers suggested the cost for lapatinib would be more than £74,400 per quality adjusted life year (QALY) and that trastuzumab would cost more than £51,000 per QALY.
Both estimates are significantly greater than the £20,000-£30,000 bracket that Nice would usually deem to be a cost effective use of NHS resources.
The guidance applies to using the medications alongside aromatase inhibitors, which are used for postmenopausal women, while the costs also include these prices.
Earlier this month Nice ruled against validating abiraterone due to its cost despite the drug being ‘clinically effective' in extending the life of prostate cancer suffers, however some Private Medical Insurance providers extended their cancer coverage to include the drug.
The body has previously rejected other breast cancer drugs for not providing cost effective levels of treatment.
Sir Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive of Nice, said: "Having reviewed the available evidence, our committee of experts has found that while both lapatinib and trastuzumab can reduce the growth and further spread of metastatic breast cancer tumours when taken alongside the aromatase inhibitors letrozole and anastrozole, the extent that these treatments can improve overall survival appears to be small or undefined.
"Furthermore, independent economic analyses indicate that both treatment combinations do not appear to be cost effective for the NHS because they have uncertain clinical benefits for the price that the NHS is being asked to pay.
"Confidence about the additional benefits new treatments bring is important both for patients and for those who have responsibility for managing the resources available to the NHS," he added.
Source: IFA online, February 2012