A NEW drug which could add three months to the lives of patients with rare cancers has been refused a recommendation for use in the NHS in Scotland.
Trabectedin, given to people suffering from cancers called soft tissue sarcomas in their last two years of life at a cost of £25,000 per patient, was recommended for adoption in England and Wales by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) last year.
But its equivalent north of the Border, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), said yesterday it would not recommend the drug for use in NHS Scotland.
It stated that “uncertainties in the clinical and economic evidence together with the high cost of the treatment meant it was not considered to be value for money”.
The Scottish Government said doctors could consider using non-SMC recommended drugs on an individual basis, but a charity that supports sufferers said it should be made available as policy.
A spokeswoman for Sarcoma UK said there are about 180 new cases each year and about 3200 in the UK as a whole.
The charity estimated that had it been adopted here at the same time it was recommended in England it have helped 30 people so far.
The drug is given as an infusion through a drip and is prescribed when other frontline treatments do not work.
The spokeswoman said: “Sarcoma UK is very disappointed by the news the SMC has not accepted Trabectedin for use in NHS Scotland, despite approval for use in England by Nice.
“While not suitable for every sarcoma patient, Trabectedin might have helped around 30 Scottish patients with advanced cancer to live longer and have a better quality of life.
“The effectiveness of Trabectedin is proven and the patient benefits from this treatment are highly valued, illustrated by Nice’s approval for its use in England.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Scotland’s robust, internationally regarded arrangements for the intro-duction of all newly-licensed clinically and cost-effective medicines provide equitable access to such medicines on the basis of clinical need. These include NHS board arrangements for clinically-led consideration of medicines for individual patients, where the clinicians responsible think their patient would benefit from a medicine not recommended by the SMC.”
A spokesman for SMC said: “We are disappointed that we have not been able to accept Trabectedin for use in NHS Scotland. It is open to the manufacturer to make a further submission to SMC at any time.”
A spokesman for Nice said: “Final guidance published in February 2010 recommended Trabectedin (Yondelis) for the treatment of certain patients [in England and Wales] with advanced soft tissue sarcoma.”
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