Charities Welcome Drug Company Move On Lung Cancer Treatment, UK

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Respiratory / Asthma;  Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry;  Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 03 Oct 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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NICE have announced that they will reconsider the guidance on the use of the lung cancer drug Tarceva (Erlotinib) in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. This upheld a joint appeal by Cancerbackup and The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation against their original decision in March not to approve the drug.

Responding to today's decision by NICE, Cancerbackup and The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation issue the following statement:

Today's decision by NICE is encouraging because Tarceva provides another treatment option for people with lung cancer. It can give some patients extra time, which can be extremely valuable to them and their families. Until the NICE guidance is final, clinicians should continue to prescribe this treatment, as clearly stated by the reissued Health Service Circular.

We hope that this treatment can now be swiftly approved and Tarceva made available to all those who could benefit from it.

However, we are extremely concerned that patients have been left waiting too long for a decision on this important treatment. The appeal was heard in June and in accordance with the NICE guide to the process, it should have come to its decision within four weeks. Patients continue to be left in limbo, waiting to know about the future of their cancer treatment.

Roche announcement

The manufacturers of Tarceva, Roche Pharmaceuticals, today announced that it will be making the drug available to NHS prescribers at the same price as the current second line lung cancer drug Taxotere until NICE make their final decision.

Cancerbackup and The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation welcomed this move saying: -

This is a novel approach to providing doctors access to this drug and will empower clinicians to prescribe Tarceva where they believe it is clinically appropriate.

We welcome this move as an interim measure and await the final decision from NICE on the use of Tarceva.

1. Cancerbackup is the only national charity that specialises in providing information on all types of cancer.

2. All Cancerbackup services are free to cancer patients, their relatives and friends.

3. Cancerbackup Centres can be found in St Bartholomew's Hospital, Charing Cross Hospital, the London Clinic, The Christie Hospital, Ipswich Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals, Coventry's University Hospital and Jersey. The charity's website can be found at http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk

4. Cancerbackup, as a charity, receives 54% of its funding from individuals, 11% from charitable trusts, 5% from grants, 14% from companies, 2% from investments and 14% from its trading company. Pharmaceutical companies contributed 9% of the total 2005/06 income.

5. In April 2006 Cancerbackup changed its name from CancerBACUP, so that the charity's name better represents the service the charity provides: information, understanding and support to anyone affected by cancer.

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk

About The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only charity in the UK wholly dedicated to defeating lung cancer - the biggest cancer killer in the UK. The charity's approach benefits current and future lung cancer sufferers alike:

The foundation funds research programmes to detect lung cancer at a very early stage, which will save lives and is vital to the development of a future therapy.

The foundation offers patient support, advocacy and an information network providing information, guidance and support relevant to the needs of lung cancer patients and their families.

The foundation facilitates support groups across the UK that assist sufferers to come to terms with the disease and provide patient advocacy services.

The foundation operates 'Quit Smoking' services for adults (Fag Ends);

KATS (Kids Against Tobacco Smoke) educational programme for children which encourages young people never to start smoking;

ATYC (Anti Tobacco Youth Campaign) which gives young people a voice, knowledge and skills to campaign about smoking and other tobacco issues;

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation runs fundraising events and charity shops, both of which help to generate much needed voluntary donations (public and corporate), on which it relies to continue its fight to defeat lung cancer.

http://www.roycastle.org