NICE rejects cancer drug

A new drug that prolongs the life and reduces suffering of men with prostate cancer has been judged too expensive for use on the NHS. NICE found that while abiraterone was clinically effective, it did not provide good value for money for the NHS.

The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) developed the drug, which works by blocking the production of male hormones in all tissues. A phase three trial, with results published last year, showed that men survived an average of four months longer and suffered considerably less pain than those taking a placebo.

A spokeswoman for the ICR said: “We are obviously disappointed with this preliminary decision. We hope NICE will now work with the drug manufacturer to reach a solution that will make the drug more widely available to patients with advanced prostate cancer.”

Cancer Research UK is opposing the ruling, and argues that the drug should be judged according to NICE’s end of life criteria, rather than just the number of patients it could benefit.

Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, said: “This decision makes no sense. Since it became available in the UK, abiraterone has been one of the most requested treatments from the Cancer Drugs Fund.

“We need to find a way for it to be routinely available through the NHS. At the moment it is too expensive and NICE must find a better way to ensure drugs that are already working for patients get approved.

“Not only have NICE rejected an effective drug, they’ve also used the wrong criteria to judge its cost effectiveness. If they looked carefully at how many men would benefit, the overall cost could be more manageable than NICE’s initial calculations indicated.”

Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE said: “Abiraterone is a drug that could potentially extend life by more than three months, compared with placebo. For patients one of the key benefits of this drug is that it can be taken orally at home. We are therefore disappointed not to be able to recommend it for use on the NHS.

“However, it is an expensive drug and the independent advisory committee that made this decision did not feel the drug provided enough benefit to patients to justify the price the NHS is being asked to pay, even with the discount that the manufacturer has offered.”

The decision is still open to consultation.