HEALTH chiefs are being urged to cut red tape that is denying NHS cancer patients drugs that could prolong their lives. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is accused of setting an “impossibly high bar” for approving new medicines for people with incurable tumours. Charities are pleading for bosses to pull down the restrictions in its board meeting on Wednesday.
But board papers show it is unlikely to budge after an internal review found the system is “working as intended”. A new “severity modifier” in NICE paperwork means some meds for terminally ill people are not considered value for money because they do not extend their lives by enough. As a result, breast cancer drug Enhertu and myeloma blood cancer drug IsaPD have been rejected for use in hundreds of patients in England.
Read more on cancer They are available on the NHS in Scotland and also across Europe. A deep injustice is at play Rachel Franklin, of Breast Cancer Now, said: “This is denying patients precious hope of more time to live. “A deep injustice is at play.
” Shelagh McKinlay, from Myeloma UK, added: “It’s hugely unfair for someone who could live less than 24 months without treatment to be denied the very thing that could give them more time with their loved ones.” Most read in Health The Association for the British Pharmaceutical Industry has also called for NICE to change the rule. It warns it will have a “chilling effect” and put companies off trying to bring ne.