Are Breast Cancer Drugs Good Value For Money?

You probably know someone who has suffered with breast cancer. You might even know someone who is suffering with it right now. It’s one of the most common forms of cancer mainly affecting women and causing thousands of deaths every year. And, of course, everyone is hoping that we will soon find a cure for it, or at the very least better forms of treatment that can keep it away for longer. However, there has been some bad news as a new cancer drug has now been considered bad value for money.

A cancer charity has expressed its disappointment after the health regulator said that a new drug to treat breast cancer did not provide value for money. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) set out a new draft guidance which recommended that the drug everolimus should not be available for widespread use on the NHS as a way of treating advanced breast cancer. The drug, which is also known as afinitor, is licensed for use in post-menopausal women with some forms of advanced breast cancer if their disease has returned following a type of hormone therapy.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer urged NICE and the manufacturers, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, to find a solution to the cost of the drug which would make it a viable solution for more patients. While the treatment is known to be effective it is currently simply too expensive to roll it out as a widely available treatment on the NHS.

This is a real shame as this drug could make a difference to the lives of many people who suffer with the disease. Unfortunately at the current cost the plan simply is not within the NHS budget and would not be sustainable.