The Cancer Drugs Fund for England has cut 19 life-extending treatments it claims are too expensive after a review in January . Thousands of cancer sufferers will lose out on ‘last chance’ drugs after the NHS withdrew approval for their use. The Cancer Drugs Fund for England has cut 19 life-extending treatments it claims are too expensive after a review in January. They include Jevtana, used in prostate cancer, along with Zaltrap, Avastin and Erbitux for bowel cancer. New patients needing these drugs will no longer be able to get them on the NHS without a consultant’s special request. But experts say this is doomed to fail and they will effectively only be available privately often costing thousands of pounds. Following appeals, four drugs will be reconsidered and remain available in the meantime. Dr Alison Birtle, consultant clinical oncologist at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said the decision to axe Jevtana was a travesty. She said ‘As a doctor who treats men with advanced prostate cancer, I am deeply saddened and my patients will be devastated. ‘In my every day experience, Jevtana has given some men with advanced prostate cancer extra time – some of the men that I started to treat with Jevtana three to four years ago are still alive today. ‘Most importantly this time has been of good quality, allowing them to carry on doing the things they enjoy despite their cancer.’ The £280million-a-year Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) which began in April 2011 has led to around 55,000 patients in England getting drugs banned on the NHS by Nice, the rationing body, or awaiting approval. The Government's aim, which was a Tory election pledge, was to enable NHS doctors to prescribe any drug if they believed a cancer patient could benefit. Mark Flannagan, chief executive of the charity Beating Bowel Cancer, said ‘We need to hold the Government and the Prime Minister to account for what has happened. ‘He needs to justify why he no longer believes doctors should be able to prescribe the drugs they think will benefit their patients. ‘If this is not what he believes, then he needs to reverse these cuts until a new system is in place.’ He said tens of thousands of patients had petitioned David Cameron, urging him to keep his promise made before the last election and to postpone the cuts until a better, fairer system was in place. He said ‘Cancer treatment shouldn’t be about luck. There should be no difference in the access to treatment between a patient diagnosed a couple of weeks ago and one diagnosed tomorrow. ‘But there will be and we believe this is just the thin end of the wedge with further cost cutting to come. ‘From yesterday, any patients who faces an unfortunate diagnosis of advanced cancer will no longer be able to benefit from the treatments that have been removed from the CDF. ‘The argument shouldn’t be about politics and economics, but so far this has been an exercise in managing budgets and maximising profits. ‘It should have been an exercise in what is important to patients and how to improve outcomes for cancer patients.’ New patients needing these drugs will need a consultant’s special request to access the drugs on the NHS . Dr Rob Glynne-Jones, chief medical advisor of Bowel Cancer UK, said Zaltrap was an effective anticancer drug, which can improve the chances of long-term survival. He said ‘This de-listing decision will significantly restrict patient choice – thus inevitably widening the gap in survival for English patients with colorectal cancer compared with the rest of the world.’ Hugh Gunn, spokesperson for prostate cancer patients’ charity TACKLE, said the removal of Jevtana, also known as cabazitaxel was a terrible blow. He said ‘I am shocked that men in England cannot get the same drugs as men in other European countries, especially when we have a Cancer Drugs Fund to supposedly pay for them. ‘For many men – myself included – cabazitaxel was going to be the next treatment option. In fact, the last treatment option we had left. ‘At the moment I’m well, but in a few months’ time I might not be; for the first time in my entire cancer journey I’m frightened.’ Tarja Stenvall, General Manager for Sanofi in the UK, said the company was continuing a ‘dialogue’ with NHS England to explore immediate ways of maintaining access to patients for Jevtana. A spokesman for NHS England said ‘NHS cancer doctors on the CDF panel have taken a careful look at how we ensure he drugs available offer the best clinical benefit, getting the most for patients from every pound.'
The Cancer Drugs Fund for England has cut 19 life-extending treatments .
It claims they are too expensive to fund following a review in January .
Patients will now need a consultant to request the drugs specially .
But experts say  this will effectively mean drugs only available privately .
The Cancer Drugs Fund for England has cut 19 life-extending treatments it claims are too expensive after a review in January . Thousands of cancer sufferers will lose out on ‘last chance’ drugs after the NHS withdrew approval for their use. The Cancer Drugs Fund for England has cut 19 life-extending treatments it claims are too expensive after a review in January. They include Jevtana, used in prostate cancer, along with Zaltrap, Avastin and Erbitux for bowel cancer. New patients needing these drugs will no longer be able to get them on the NHS without a consultant’s special request. But experts say this is doomed to fail and they will effectively only be available privately often costing thousands of pounds. Following appeals, four drugs will be reconsidered and remain available in the meantime. Dr Alison Birtle, consultant clinical oncologist at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said the decision to axe Jevtana was a travesty. She said ‘As a doctor who treats men with advanced prostate cancer, I am deeply saddened and my patients will be devastated. ‘In my every day experience, Jevtana has given some men with advanced prostate cancer extra time – some of the men that I started to treat with Jevtana three to four years ago are still alive today. ‘Most importantly this time has been of good quality, allowing them to carry on doing the things they enjoy despite their cancer.’ The £280million-a-year Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) which began in April 2011 has led to around 55,000 patients in England getting drugs banned on the NHS by Nice, the rationing body, or awaiting approval. The Government's aim, which was a Tory election pledge, was to enable NHS doctors to prescribe any drug if they believed a cancer patient could benefit. Mark Flannagan, chief executive of the charity Beating Bowel Cancer, said ‘We need to hold the Government and the Prime Minister to account for what has happened. ‘He needs to justify why he no longer believes doctors should be able to prescribe the drugs they think will benefit their patients. ‘If this is not what he believes, then he needs to reverse these cuts until a new system is in place.’ He said tens of thousands of patients had petitioned David Cameron, urging him to keep his promise made before the last election and to postpone the cuts until a better, fairer system was in place. He said ‘Cancer treatment shouldn’t be about luck. There should be no difference in the access to treatment between a patient diagnosed a couple of weeks ago and one diagnosed tomorrow. ‘But there will be and we believe this is just the thin end of the wedge with further cost cutting to come. ‘From yesterday, any patients who faces an unfortunate diagnosis of advanced cancer will no longer be able to benefit from the treatments that have been removed from the CDF. ‘The argument shouldn’t be about politics and economics, but so far this has been an exercise in managing budgets and maximising profits. ‘It should have been an exercise in what is important to patients and how to improve outcomes for cancer patients.’ New patients needing these drugs will need a consultant’s special request to access the drugs on the NHS . Dr Rob Glynne-Jones, chief medical advisor of Bowel Cancer UK, said Zaltrap was an effective anticancer drug, which can improve the chances of long-term survival. He said ‘This de-listing decision will significantly restrict patient choice – thus inevitably widening the gap in survival for English patients with colorectal cancer compared with the rest of the world.’ Hugh Gunn, spokesperson for prostate cancer patients’ charity TACKLE, said the removal of Jevtana, also known as cabazitaxel was a terrible blow. He said ‘I am shocked that men in England cannot get the same drugs as men in other European countries, especially when we have a Cancer Drugs Fund to supposedly pay for them. ‘For many men – myself included – cabazitaxel was going to be the next treatment option. In fact, the last treatment option we had left. ‘At the moment I’m well, but in a few months’ time I might not be; for the first time in my entire cancer journey I’m frightened.’ Tarja Stenvall, General Manager for Sanofi in the UK, said the company was continuing a ‘dialogue’ with NHS England to explore immediate ways of maintaining access to patients for Jevtana. A spokesman for NHS England said ‘NHS cancer doctors on the CDF panel have taken a careful look at how we ensure he drugs available offer the best clinical benefit, getting the most for patients from every pound.'
The Cancer Drugs Fund for England has cut 19 life-extending treatments it claims are too cut 19 life-extending treatments it claims are too expensive after a review in January. They consultant’s special request. But experts say this is doomed to fail and they will effectively only be available privately often costing consultant’s special request to access the drugs