• 5/14/2007
  • London, England
  • staff
  • Telegraph.co.uk

Patients suffering from head and neck cancer are to be denied a new drug on the National Health Service because it is claimed it is no more effective than existing drugs.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has rejected Erbitux, also known as cetuximab, for cancer sufferers in England and Wales. The drug is available in Scotland.

Nice said the drug, when used in conjunction with radiotherapy, did not offer “better therapeutic value” than existing treatments for locally advanced head and neck cancer.

However, according to clinical trials carried out by Merck Serono UK, the drug’s manufacturer, patients treated with Erbitux plus radiotherapy survive for an average of 49 months, compared with 29 months for those treated with radiotherapy alone.

Campaigners said the move was a blow to patients as the drug is the first licensed in the past 40 years for treating locally advanced head and neck cancer.

Andrew Dillon, the chief executive of Nice, said: “The evidence presented to the independent advisory committee did not persuade them that cetuximab works any better or offers better therapeutic value than existing treatments for head and neck cancer.

“Sometimes it is possible for the committee to identify a subgroup of patients in whom a drug would be effective, for example, patients for whom other treatments are not suitable.

“The committee did consider whether there are any subgroups of patients for whom cetuximab could be clinically and cost effective but they were not presented with any robust evidence to demonstrate this.”

In January, Nice also rejected an appeal from charities over its decision to reject Erbitux for bowel cancer patients. “The NHS has finite resources and it is our job to ensure that these are spent on treatments that confer enough of a benefit to patients in relation to the amount of money they cost,” said Mr Dillon.

More than 7,800 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer in the UK every year.

Dr Vinod Joshi, of the Mouth Cancer Foundation, said: “Nice has effectively denied [head and neck cancer patients] this new treatment option for a chance to live longer.

“There is now a postcode lottery as the Scottish Medicines Consortium has approved not only cetuximab but also docetaxel [another head and neck cancer drug] for Scottish patients.”

Christine Piff, the chief executive of the head and neck cancer support group Let’s Face It, said: “I am devastated by the news. Head and neck cancer continues to be the Cinderella cancer, receiving little or no attention from the NHS.

“Why shouldn’t people suffering from head and neck cancer have access to a drug that is prescribed in Scotland?”

Dr Nick Slevin, a consultant oncologist at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, added: “The decision from Nice ignores the complexities and pragmatism of clinical practice.

“I have no doubt that cetuximab with radiotherapy is the correct treatment option for some patients.

“Head and neck cancer management is not black and white and I believe this decision is discriminatory against a group of patients who don’t carry the same political influence as others.”

A Swedish study published earlier this month showed that the UK has one of the worst records over access to new cancer drugs. Experts ranked the UK in the bottom group for its “slow and low” uptake of drugs after analysing sales in 25 countries.