Cancer drug rejected by NICE

A chemotherapy drug that can extend the life of men with cancer for around ten weeks has been rejected by NICE for being too expensive for use on the NHS.

The rationing and standards body stated that cancer is becoming a major financial issue, and treatments must be carefully considered for their value.

The drug cabazitaxel was not found to be cost-effective as a second line treatment after hormone therapy. When assessing a treatment, NICE must consider effectiveness, side effects, and financial cost.

Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, told the Independent: “Appraisal committees will normally recommend treatments that cost around £30,000 per QALY (Quality Adjusted Life Year) or less. Although cabazitaxel has been shown to be effective, it is also associated with a number of adverse events.

“The committee was particularly concerned about the uncertainty around the effect on patients' renal and cardiac systems. It was also concerned about the validity of the health-related quality of life information provided by the manufacturer.

“The committee also felt that the treatment did not meet the criteria to be considered under NICE’s special arrangements for end-of-life, as based on the current data the length of the life extension could not be considered robustly proven to be at least three months.

“Once all these factors had been taken into account it was estimated that the cost per QALY would be more than £89,000. Therefore the committee concluded that cabazitaxel would not be a cost-effective use of limited NHS resources.”

The decision on use of the drug is now open to consultation.