Drug for advanced breast cancer turned down by NICE

Around 800 women with advanced breast cancer who have already received certain drugs will not be allowed to have Avastin on the NHS, it has been ruled.

The drug is thought to work best in this group with data from Roche, the manufacturer, showing it can stall the disease for four months and extend life by eight months to more than two years.

However the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has said there are doubts about its benefits and its high cost, £3,700 per patient per month, means it is not cost effective.

Avastin, also known as bevacizumab, has already been turned down by Nice for use in bowel cancer, kidney cancer and lung cancer. It works by starving the tumour of blood.

Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of Nice, said: “Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and we understand how vital it is that patients receive effective treatments, especially once the cancer spreads to other parts of the body.

Sourced: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9377923/Drug-for-advanced-breast-cancer-turned-down-by-NICE.html