2:50pm Monday 5th January 2009
Terminally ill cancer patients have been thrown a lifeline by a health watchdog following a public outcry.
Patients were furious that they could not get some drugs because they were regarded as too expensive.
It led to claims that life or death decisions were a postcode lottery, with some health authorities buying the drugs and others refusing to fund them.
Colin Ross from Horsham took matters into his own hands to fight for his right to treatment – and won.
Despite suffering from multiple myeloma, a rare cancer of the blood and bones, Mr Ross fought a landmark High Court battle to get £5,000- a-month Revlimid from West Sussex Primary Care Trust.
Just one month after he started taking the drug he saw a dramatic improvement in his condition.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has issued guidelines to improve access to life-extending treatments for people who are terminally ill and not expected to live more than two years.
The new guidance, published today, comes into immediate effect.
The decision is a dramatic U-turn by Nice which in November had initially announced it would not recommend Revlimid be made available on the NHS.
Macmillan Cancer Support said 10,000 cancer patients a year could benefit from the move, including many across Sussex.
Mr Ross said: “I’m really pleased because so many more people with cancer will have their hopes lifted and will be given the opportunity for a bit more extra time.”
Andrew Dillon, Nice chief executive, said: “These treatments are expensive and clinical experience will be limited, therefore if one of these kinds of treatments is recommended, the institute will normally recommend a data collection exercise.”
Stella Pendleton, executive director of the Rarer Cancers Forum, said: “Nice’s decision to allow greater flexibility when considering life extending treatments will benefit many thousands of patients.
“However, there are many treatments which can never be assessed by Nice in the first place because of the rarity of the cancers they treat.
“Unless action is taken, patients who need these treatments will continue to be forced into the inconsistent and demeaning exceptional case processes.”
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