20+ vital cancer treatments denied to NHS patients says CancerBACUP
UK cancer patients are waiting more than two years for some vital cancer treatments to become widely available on the NHS, says cancer information charity CancerBACUP.
* 23 vital cancer treatments subject to unacceptable delays before being widely available on the NHS
* One treatment delayed by three years; many taking more than two years to progress from licence to widespread availability
* System needs radical reform.
For many, the delays mean that treatments will not be available in time to help them. The charity is calling for radical reform of the system by which new cancer treatments are made available on the NHS.
One treatment, Rituximab for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, is subject to a three- year delay. Yet another, Cetuximab for advanced colorectal cancer, is subject to a two and a half year delay. Many treatments are subject to delays of at least two years.
The charity has produced a NICEwatch document listing 23 licensed cancer treatments currently waiting for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to make recommendations on their use to NHS clinicians. A recommendation from NICE plays a crucial role in the availability of treatments on the NHS.
In a detailed policy paper launched today, CancerBACUP is calling for root and branch reform of the entire system by which treatments proceed from licence to NICE guidance. It says:
* Cancer treatments should be examined within three months of a licence being granted
* Some treatments should be fast-tracked to NICE outside of the usual processes
* Within NICE, Appraisal Committees should be established specialising in specific disease types (eg cancer)
* A Specialist Appraisal Committee should be able to issue interim guidance on cancer drugs
* The Appraisal process should be shortened and NICE given the resources needed
"Reform of the current system is a life and death issue for cancer patients," says CancerBACUP Chief Executive Joanne Rule. "It is heartbreaking for the nurses on our helpline to have to tell callers that new treatments will not be available on the NHS for several years.
We have to improve and speed up the way new cancer treatments are monitored and assessed and fast-track the ones with the most impact.
"Only reform of NICE will ensure these vital treatments are widely available to the patients who desperately need them. In the interim, it’s desperately urgent that the Department of Health issues a new Health Service Circular so that doctors are clear that they can use any licensed drug if it will really help patients with cancer."
http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk/News/Press/Pressreleasesstatements/2005/87709710
* 23 vital cancer treatments subject to unacceptable delays before being widely available on the NHS
* One treatment delayed by three years; many taking more than two years to progress from licence to widespread availability
* System needs radical reform.
For many, the delays mean that treatments will not be available in time to help them. The charity is calling for radical reform of the system by which new cancer treatments are made available on the NHS.
One treatment, Rituximab for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, is subject to a three- year delay. Yet another, Cetuximab for advanced colorectal cancer, is subject to a two and a half year delay. Many treatments are subject to delays of at least two years.
The charity has produced a NICEwatch document listing 23 licensed cancer treatments currently waiting for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to make recommendations on their use to NHS clinicians. A recommendation from NICE plays a crucial role in the availability of treatments on the NHS.
In a detailed policy paper launched today, CancerBACUP is calling for root and branch reform of the entire system by which treatments proceed from licence to NICE guidance. It says:
* Cancer treatments should be examined within three months of a licence being granted
* Some treatments should be fast-tracked to NICE outside of the usual processes
* Within NICE, Appraisal Committees should be established specialising in specific disease types (eg cancer)
* A Specialist Appraisal Committee should be able to issue interim guidance on cancer drugs
* The Appraisal process should be shortened and NICE given the resources needed
"Reform of the current system is a life and death issue for cancer patients," says CancerBACUP Chief Executive Joanne Rule. "It is heartbreaking for the nurses on our helpline to have to tell callers that new treatments will not be available on the NHS for several years.
We have to improve and speed up the way new cancer treatments are monitored and assessed and fast-track the ones with the most impact.
"Only reform of NICE will ensure these vital treatments are widely available to the patients who desperately need them. In the interim, it’s desperately urgent that the Department of Health issues a new Health Service Circular so that doctors are clear that they can use any licensed drug if it will really help patients with cancer."
http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk/News/Press/Pressreleasesstatements/2005/87709710
posted by Dr Search- Principal Consultant at the Search Clinic at
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