Drugs U-turn brings kidney cancer boost

Published on Tuesday 24 March 2009 21:11

KIDNEY cancer patients across Scotland are set to get a costly life-prolonging drug on the NHS after a U-turn in guidance for doctors.

Campaigners were celebrating last night after drugs watchdogs issued advice stating that the drug Sutent (sunitinib) should be made available to patients who might benefit.

It was initially rejected for use in Scotland in 2007, leaving many patients having to fund the treatment themselves at a cost of thousands of pounds.

But yesterday, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) announced the drug would now be available through the health service following an announcement by experts in England.

It is thought more than 100 patients a year in Scotland could benefit from the decision, which follows a long campaign.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued final guidance recommending Sutent be used as a first-line treatment for advanced kidney cancer.

Andrew Dillon, NICE chief executive, said: "Following extensive consultation, I'm very pleased we are now able to issue this important guidance in its final form."

Following the announcement, NHS QIS said it would also be following suit and accepting the recommendation.

A spokesman said: "NHS QIS is happy to accept this advice in its entirety for NHS Scotland."

It is understood the guidance will apply immediately.

Last month, it emerged that one kidney cancer patient, Jim Reap, of Falkirk, was forced to pay for Sutent using 20,000 raised by colleagues.

But after his story appeared in The Scotsman, the council worker was told the NHS would fund his treatment after all.

Although Sutent is not a cure, the drug has been shown to extend patients' survival by several months and in some situations more than two years. It is taken by mouth in capsules, meaning patients can take it themselves at home.

The decision marks a U-turn; NICE ruled last year that Sutent was not cost-effective, sparking accusations that sufferers were condemned to an early death.

NICE took a new look at the drug after makers Pfizer came up with a plan to make it more affordable. The firm agreed to a 5 per cent discount, dropping the price of sunitinib to about 24,000 per patient per year. It also offered to pay for the first six weeks of treatment, amounting to just over 3,000, with the NHS picking up the rest of the bill.

NICE is also re-appraising three other kidney cancer drugs, Avastin, Nexavar and Torisel, previously deemed too costly.

Each year the cancer strikes more than 7,000 people in the UK, killing 3,600. Until recently only one drug, interferon-alpha, was available for advanced kidney cancer, but many patients do not respond well to it.

James Whale, chairman of the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer, said: "Finally we have justice. This positive recommendation will allow thousands of kidney cancer patients access to this life-extending treatment."