Press release -

SMC urged to throw lifeline to men with incurable prostate cancer

Prostate Cancer UK is calling on the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) to throw a lifeline to men with incurable prostate cancer by approving the life prolonging and life enhancing drug abiraterone for use on NHS Scotland prior to chemotherapy.

The call comes as the SMC meets today (Tuesday 6 Jan) to decide on whether to approve the drug or not. The decision will be seen as a test case for the effectiveness of Scotland’s recently reformed drug appraisal system.

Following an award winning campaign from Prostate Cancer UK abiraterone after chemotherapy was approved for routine use on NHS Scotland in August 2012. However the drug is not yet routinely available before chemotherapy, when clinical trails indicate it can be more effective. Men cannot understand why they have to endure chemotherapy before they are allowed to routinely access abiraterone in Scotland.

Although the treatment has not been approved by NICE for routine use south of the border it is widely available to patients in England via the Cancer Drugs Fund. Around 4,500 men have accessed the drug in England via this method since March 2013, illustrating the faith patients and clinicians have in the treatment.

Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK Owen Sharp said: “Abiraterone before chemotherapy can provide men with invaluable extra quality time with loved ones and delay chemotherapy and the debilitating side effects it can bring. The treatment is widely available in England via the Cancer Drugs Fund, and it is vital that it becomes routinely available throughout Scotland and indeed the whole of the UK.

“A great deal of work has been done by the Scottish Government and Holyrood’s Health Committee to improve access to medicines in Scotland. Central to this was the desire to ensure that the voice of patients is heard. Our patient survey - which we have presented to the SMC – shows just how much men with prostate cancer and their loved ones are behind this treatment. Only a positive decision today will illustrate that things have changed for the better and that the voice of patients is truly being heard and taken on board.

“This appraisal provides the SMC with a golden opportunity to show that recent reforms have worked and that it is leading the way on how we treat men with prostate cancer in the UK. Prostate Cancer UK, and the men we consulted on this treatment, firmly believe the SMC should seize this opportunity for men in Scotland as the next step towards full routine access UK wide.”

The SMC meets today (Tuesday 6 Jan) to decide if abiraterone prior to chemotherapy is to be approved for routine use on NHS Scotland. Its decision will be announced to the public on 9 February.

-ENDS-

Topics

  • Health Organisations

Categories

  • owen sharp
  • drug appraisal
  • abiraterone
  • nhs scotland
  • nhs
  • smc
  • scottish medicines consortium
  • access to treatments
  • scotland

Regions

  • Scotland

NOTES TO EDITORS

Abiraterone prior to chemotherapy

The phase III trial of abiraterone prior to chemotherapy illustrated a highly significant benefit for men and their loved ones. The drug was shown to:

  • delay the start of chemotherapy by an average of 9.7 months and
  • increase overall survival by an average of 5.2 months. (By comparison abiraterone after chemotherapy, which the SMC has previously approved, increased life by an average of 3.9 months).

Giving abiraterone before chemotherapy offers a ray of hope for men who are not physically or emotionally fit enough to endure a course of chemotherapy. Men on abiraterone are often still able to work and enjoy their usual social activities giving them priceless quality time.

To quote one patient who has accessed the drug via England’s Cancer Drugs Fund:

“I have had prostate cancer for 3 years it has spread to lymph nodes and liver. I was prescribed abiraterone 6 months ago before chemotherapy and it has made a tremendous difference to my life. I have been able to take up running and swimming again and have been virtually pain free. I just cannot bear to think about what will happen if this drug is denied to me.”

Prostate Cancer UK patient survey

Prostate Cancer UK conducted a survey of men in Scotland who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer - as well as their family, friends and healthcare professionals. 176 people responded to the survey. Key findings include:

  1. Over 91% said it was “important” or “very important” that abiraterone should be available on NHS Scotland prior to chemotherapy. Only 1 % said it was “not important.” 8% were “unsure.”
  2. Respondents were asked how they would feel if abiraterone was not made available on the NHS. Words most commonly used in response include: “Cheated,” “angry,” “dismayed,” “bitter,” “horrified,” “marginalised,” “abandoned,” “deflated,” “hurt,” “furious” and “betrayed.” Two example quotes follow:

    “I would feel disgusted and cheated that a drug that is available to men in England via the CDF is being denied to men in Scotland.”

    “Very disappointed for men and their families affected by this disease and also, from a clinical point of view, that we have an effective treatment …that we are not able to prescribe.”

  3. Survey respondents were extremely keen for this treatment to be approved in order to avoid or delay chemotherapy. Respondents who had undergone chemotherapy described it as “terrible,” “debilitating,” “blunderbuss treatment,” “devastating wipe out treatment” and “truly hellish.” Consequently it was argued that approving abiraterone before chemotherapy was extremely important as it would do two things:
    • provide men who are not physically or emotionally fit enough to undergo chemotherapy with another treatment option other than palliative care.
    • Provide men who may be fit enough for chemotherapy with an option to delay it, and the significant physical and psychological side effects that so often come with it.

      In short, patients cannot understand why they are forced to endure chemotherapy before they are allowed to routinely access abiraterone. It seems both cruel and counterproductive.

Access to abiraterone before chemotherapy in England

Although the treatment has not been approved by NICE (National Institute for Health & Care Excellence) for routine use in England & Wales it is widely available to patients in England via the Cancer Drugs Fund. Around 4,500 men have accessed the drug via this method since March 2013, illustrating the faith patients and clinicians have in the treatment.

Prostate Cancer UK is calling for the price of the drug to be reduced so that NICE can re-review it with a view to approving routine NHS access in England & Wales.

About Prostate Cancer UK:

  • Prostate Cancer UK fights to help more men survive prostate cancer and enjoy a better quality of life. We support men and provide vital information. We find answers by funding research into causes and treatments. And we lead change, raising the profile of the disease and improving care. We believe that men deserve better.
  • Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK. Over 40,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. Every hour one man dies from prostate cancer. One in four Black men will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives.
  • Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer can contact Prostate Cancer UK's Specialist Nurses in confidence on 0800 074 8383 or via the online Live chat, instant messaging service: www.prostatecanceruk.org. The Specialist Nurse phone service is free to landlines and open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday with late opening until 8pm on Wednesdays.