Prostate Cancer UK
'disappointed' at suspension of NICE abiraterone
appraisal
Today the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
(NICE) has announced it has suspended its appraisal of abiraterone
for men with incurable prostate cancer who have not yet had
chemotherapy.
Commenting on the development Owen Sharp, Chief Executive at
Prostate Cancer UK, said:
"It is extremely disappointing that - due to delays from the
manufacturer - NICE has been forced to push back its appraisal of
abiraterone for men with incurable prostate cancer who have not yet
had chemotherapy. The news will come as a huge blow to those men in
the final stages of the disease who had hoped for the chance to
delay chemotherapy and the debilitating side effects that can come
with it.
"Although doctors can still prescribe abiraterone prior to
chemotherapy, its costs may not be covered by local NHS providers.
For this we urgently needed NICE - and its Scottish and Northern
Irish equivalents - to appraise the drug and we'd hope that they'd
recommend it for routine use on the NHS.
"We implore the drug manufacturer and the UK's drug appraisal
bodies to find a way forward as a matter of urgency. There are
thousands of men with prostate cancer who have no time to
waste."
ENDS