NICE approves life extending drugs for cancer patients

NICE recommends life extending drugs become routinely available

Drug companies Pfizer and Norvatis have agreed to reduce the price the NHS pays for their drugs Palbociclib and Ribociclib to allow them to be made routinely available to people with hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2 negative and locally advanced or secondary breast cancer.

Following the reduction in price and further evidence on the drugs effectiveness, NICE (The National Institute for Clinical Excellence) has now produced guidelines recommending that the drugs be made routinely available on the NHS for suitable patients.

These drugs were found to stall the growth of cancer for an extra 10 months on average. It is thought that they may also reduce the need for chemotherapy. They work by inhibiting two proteins typically called CDK 4 and 6. They are given to patients in tablet form alongside an aromatase inhibitor, a type of hormone therapy.

NICE has estimated that out of the 45,000 new diagnosis of breast cancer in England each year, 8,000 would be eligible for treatment with either Palbociclib or Ribociclib.

It is expected that Wales will also adopt the guidance in the coming weeks and in Scotland a decision by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) is expected shortly.

This is a positive step in the treatment of breast cancer in the UK. Unfortunately, we deal with many cases involving delays in the diagnosis of breast cancer and the inappropriate treatment of breast cancer and have extensive experience in this area.

If you have any questions about treatment you have received and would like advice in relation to a potential claim for compensation for medical negligence, please contact one of our medical negligence team on 0800 316 8892 or contact us online.