Good news reported in today's Telegraph about access to Bowel Cancer drugs. The decision earlier this year by NICE, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (or Control of Expenditure) not to give approval for prescription within the NHS the drugs Avastin and Erbitux for treatment of bowel cancer was a deeply disappointing decision. It follows that I welcome the intervention of the High Court which has upheld the rights of sufferers to have access.
A course of Erbitux costs£11,000 for a 16 week course and in many cases extends life by several months. the drugs are still available within the NHS in Wales, where they have been judged to be cost effective - but will remain so for a few weeks only.
No comments:
Post a Comment