Herceptin approved for early breast cancer use on NHS

Breast cancer drug Herceptin has been approved for the treatment of early stage breast cancer on the NHS by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Herceptin is effective on the HER2 positive form of breast cancer, which forms around 20% of all breast cancer cases.

The drug, which has been used to treat women with advanced breast cancer, has been at the centre of a campaign to make it available to women in the early stages of the disease.

Several women have recently taken their case to court in order to receive the drug on the NHS.

NICE's recommendation comes two weeks after Herceptin was licensed by European authorities. Final guidance is expected to be published in July and primary care trusts will be given three months to begin funding treatment. However, Herceptin will not be recommended for patients with certain heart problems and high blood pressure.

NICE said that a patient's heart function would need to be assessed before treatment began and recommended that women who were prescribed Herceptin should have heart checks every three months.

Christine Fogg, Joint Chief Executive of Breast Cancer, welcomed the decision. She said: "People with early-stage breast cancer who may benefit from Herceptin will be overjoyed at today's decision.

"This go-ahead from NICE puts an end to so much confusion about when and where Herceptin may be available and should mean that no one will ever again be forced to endure the terrible stress of having to fight to access the drug on the NHS in England and Wales.

"Doctors too can be confident their patients will get the treatment they recommend to help prevent breast cancer returning.

However, Ms Fogg added: "Anyone newly diagnosed with the disease must be tested to find out if Herceptin may help them. At the same time, those diagnosed before the NICE approval who could still benefit should get it. We want a clear assurance that today's decision will be implemented with immediate effect without any delay."

Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "Today's announcement should ensure that all women for whom Herceptin is an appropriate treatment will receive it. A year of uncertainty and post code lottery is at last coming to an end. But this will only be the case if women are sure they can be tested to see if Herceptin is suitable for them. Nationwide, HER2 testing is being put in place and all women diagnosed with breast cancer need to know this test will be available quickly."

However, Dr Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "NHS organisations will welcome the clarity that today's announcement from NICE on the use of Herceptin for early stage breast cancer brings.

However, there is no doubt that this will present a significant financial challenge to some NHS organisations. Primary care trusts plan their expenditure some 18 months in advance and so when a new and expensive drug licensed and no new funding provided, it inevitably causes difficulties.

"PCTs receive a fixed allocation of money to deliver all the services for their local community and have to take difficult decisions on competing priorities. For example, this year many PCTs have been faced with decisions about spending money on expensive drugs, cutting waiting lists and investing in infertility treatment.

"Every decision about spending taxpayer's money is a moral one because a pound spent on one drug means a pound less for another. There will always be a finite amount of money and difficult decisions will always need to be taken. We strongly believe that those decisions are best made by clinicians and trusts locally."

(KMcA/SP)