The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has accused the drug manufacturer, the Swiss company Roche, of charging over £90,000 per patient, a price far exceeding that of any other treatment method.
However, this decision has been criticized by Roche and several breast cancer charities, who argue that the drug is necessary and that NICE has already banned too many breast cancer treatments.
The Institute stated that the effectiveness of the drug is not sufficient to justify its high price and has called on Roche to reconsider during the consultation period.
“The drug is already funded by the Cancer Drugs Fund. Our role is to provide guidance on whether costs should be covered by the NHS budget. We are well aware of the importance of cancer drugs that extend life, but we do not take the decision to recommend regular cancer treatment funding to the NHS lightly.”
UK National Health Service spokesperson said: “The Cancer Drugs Fund provides an additional £200 million annually, enabling patients to afford certain drugs that the NHS does not otherwise fund. Many drugs previously permitted by the Cancer Drugs Fund are not recommended for routine use after evaluation by NICE. This is precisely why the Cancer Drugs Fund was established.”
Therefore, the negative assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence regarding the anti-cancer drug Kadcyla will have no impact on the Cancer Drugs Fund's continued provision of the drug.
