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Pancreatic Cancer: Drugs

Answer

The Government is committed to ensuring that patients have access to effective treatments, including those for pancreatic cancer, on terms that represent value to the National Health Service and the taxpayer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing advice to the NHS on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of health technologies.

NICE has recommended gemcitabine as a treatment option for pancreatic cancer in technology appraisal guidance published in May 2001, subject to certain clinical criteria, and has been asked to appraise a number of other pancreatic cancer drugs. NHS commissioners are legally required to fund treatments recommended by NICE technology appraisal guidance.

Where a pancreatic cancer drug is not routinely available on the NHS, patients may be able to access it through the Cancer Drugs Fund.

NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund panel plans to assess, on the basis of the latest evidence, whether certain drugs, including Abraxane (albumin bound paclitaxel) for advanced pancreatic cancer, should continue to be made routinely available to new patients through the Fund and to consider a number of new drugs for potential addition to the Fund.

NHS England has assured the Department that no patient whose treatment is currently being funded through the Fund will have funding withdrawn, as long as it is clinically appropriate that they continue to receive that treatment. In addition, no drug will be removed from the Fund where it is the only therapy for that condition.

We are committed to maintaining the Cancer Drugs Fund until the end of March 2016. We will carefully consider with NHS England what arrangements should be put in place for the long term.

Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments that may be used for pancreatic cancer are commissioned by NHS England. NHS England’s pancreatic cancer service specification clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective pancreatic cancer services.

NHS England has also committed to make up to £6 million available over the next three years to support six trials by Cancer Research UK - one of which will be on pancreatic cancer - into the use of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR), an innovative radiotherapy treatment. This will allow patients to receive SABR treatment where clinicians think they could benefit. At the same time doctors can fully assess the effectiveness of this treatment so that, if it proves to be effective, it will be available for patients on the NHS where appropriate.

We are also commissioning an external review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. This review will consider how to speed up access for NHS patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

HL3214

Session

2014-15

Subjects

Drugs Pancreatic cancer

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk