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Dr Atul Mehta |
Cancer treatment hold-ups a life-or-death issue, says expert
A LEADING blood cancer expert has warned that delays in clearing critical medication for use can mean the difference between life and death.
Dr Atul Mehta, who works at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, described management of cancer treatments as “dismal”.
He spoke out after a survey revealed that one in four doctors is worried about discussing possible life-extending treatments with patients because it can take up to three years for medication to be approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the government advisers.
Dr Mehta warned that patients with myeloma, a fierce form of cancer which attacks blood plasma and bone marrow, were not benefiting from breakthroughs in treatments of the often-crippling disease.
He said: “Patients with active myeloma require effective treatment to improve their chances of survival. The impact of waiting even a month for treatment can result in a life-or-death situation.”
Myeloma experts are particularly concerned about how long it is taking to approve Revlimid, a drug which has been funded locally only as a trial at the Royal Free. Despite a positive response, it has not been given the full green light from NICE.
When the trial runs out patients whose hopes have been raised must wait to see if further courses will be provided.
NICE is not due to reach a final decision on the drug until next year, even though it is already widely used across Europe.
The latest survey of more than 100 specialists was conducted by Myeloma UK, a support charity whose patrons include Maureen Lipman, the actress whose scriptwriter husband Jack Rosenthal died from the disease.
Seventy-four per cent of respondents said their preferred treatments were blocked by local primary care trusts.
A fifth said that options over prescribing drugs to treat myeloma were “out of their hands”.
Dr Mehta, a haematologist consultant, added: “These survey findings reveal the dismal state of UK cancer management. Despite significant advances in the treatment of myeloma, such as Revlimid, the majority of patients cannot get access to new life-extending drugs until they have been appraised and approved by NICE, a process that can take up to three years from when the drug is first licensed in the UK.”
Eric Low, chief executive of Myeloma UK, said: “Postcode prescribing is rife in the UK, with some patients getting access to life-extending treatments ahead of a NICE decision while others are left to die.
“Myeloma UK wants to engage with the Department of Health to find a solution to this growing issue.” |
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Your comments:
My demise through Myeloma was originally forecast for 1995, but I am lucky and a fighter. I don't give up and a manufacturer's Revlimid trial at the end of last year gave me a forecast average respite of 4.1 years.
In my opeinion the NICE policy should be totally reversed. Terminal patients, with no routine treatments left, should get new drugs automatically on NHS trials. These trials will give patients further life, sometimes as with me of high quality; will give doctors a chance
to identify side effects and ways around them, eg (neuropthy - reduce dose),(blood clots - aspirin); and give NICE reliable facts and figures, without having to rely on potentially biased results from manufacturers.
Malcolm Cole |
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