A senior member of the Government's medicines watchdog has warned that the breast cancer drug Herceptin may be unaffordable by the NHS.
The drug was granted a licence for use in early breast cancer by the European Medicines Agency yesterday, presenting NHS trusts with the dilemma of whether to fund it.
The licence was granted in 53 days, the quickest it has ever happened, after the agency agreed to speed up its process in response to public and political demand for the drug.
Professor Ian Smith, head of the breast cancer unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, said: "For women with HER2-positive breast cancer, Herceptin is one of the most important developments we have ever seen, so the licence is excellent news for these women throughout the UK."
But the cost of the drug has alarmed holders of the NHS's purse strings, who have to balance competing budget demands.
Herceptin is being assessed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), the Government body which decides which drugs should be recommended for use on the NHS on the basis of their cost effectiveness. A decision is expected "in a matter of weeks".
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That's terrible. I don't know much about Herceptin, but one of the other big breakthrough drugs for breast cancer, Taxol, was (is?) also way too expensive. Interesting thing was, the US government completely funded the research that yielded the drug. I guess they wanted to make people pay for it twice: collect their tax money, and then let corporartions rob them blind when they're sick.
sounds so sadistic
I think it speaks to a fundamental clash between neoliberal capitalism and healthcare. Corporations' only concern is to make money, and when they get their money from sick/dying people, it creates all kinds of moral dilemmas.
They actually get their money from eny source they found. But sick/dying people are more vulnerable, and they take advantage of their situation.
What other sources might they take advantage of?
Usually people who are in trouble (for example debts, legal actions) are more vulnerable, and they are willing to do more stuff (so implicitelly give more moeny).