All news
NICE draft guidance rejects breast cancer drug fulvestrant
August 24, 2011
NICE says it does not believe breast cancer therapy fulvestrant would represent a good use of NHS resources.
Britons may need to turn to private medical insurance if they want to try a breast cancer therapy called fulvestrant (brand name Faslodex), after the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) revealed it is unlikely to approve the drug for NHS use.
According to manufacturer AstraZeneca, the drug may help to delay the growth of a particular type of advanced breast cancer, called oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer.
However, NICE's independent appraisal committee said it had not seen conclusive evidence that fulvestrant extends life or delays tumour progression to a greater degree than existing therapies.
Sir Andrew Dillon, the institute's chief executive, said: "While it is important for women with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer to have a range of options, NICE has to ensure that the NHS provides treatments that bring benefits which are value for money."
He added that the committee found the estimates of overall survival and time to tumour progression to be "very uncertain".
Mark Jones, AstraZeneca UK's marketing company president, said the company was "disappointed" by the decision and would work closely with NICE to get the draft recommendation reversed.
Private Health Insurance News
