NICE’s rejection of olaparib lets down men across the UK

Olaparib, the first precision medicine for prostate cancer, treats men based on the genetic make-up of their cancer rather than a less effective ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. It is a vital new treatment option for men whose cancer has a BRCA genetic mutation and has stopped responding to hormone therapy. 

However, last week NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), decided that it was not cost effective to offer olaparib on the NHS.  

The decision will deny hundreds of men in England, Wales and Northern Ireland access to the life-extending treatment and will effectively create a postcode lottery across the UK. 

Working to make olaparib available more widely

Olaparib was originally developed to treat women with breast or ovarian cancer. The treatment targets cancer cells that have faulty DNA repair systems caused by a mutation in their BRCA genes. 

Thanks in part to research we funded, the treatment was later found to be effective in prostate cancer, for men whose cancer also has these faulty repair mechanisms. For these men, olaparib can block the growth of prostate cancer effectively, even after standard and next-generation hormone therapies like abiraterone and enzalutamide have stopped working. 

We want men across the UK to have access to this exciting new precision treatment so are calling on NICE, NHS England and AstraZeneca to clarify the reasons behind the decision, and urging them to work together and with us to help make olaparib available at a cost-effective price.  

If there are structural issues beyond price that are hampering negotiations, it is crucial that these are resolved so that they don't pose a risk to other treatments likely to be shown to be effective in future clinical trials.

Dr Matthew Hobbs, our Director of Research, said: “We are extremely disappointed by today’s decision, which will deny hundreds of men in England, Wales and Northern Ireland access to an innovative, life-extending treatment, just months after it was approved in Scotland.   

“No man should miss out on additional time with his loved ones because of where he lives. We urge all parties to come back to the table and work together more flexibly to find a solution that will change this decision.”  

With your support we’ll continue to fight to make sure no man misses out on time with their loved ones because of their age, their health conditions or where they live. Men, we are with you.

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