Nice says cancer drug is too costly to be funded for NHS

NHS watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) announced Kadcyla, also called trastuzumab emtansine, cost too much to be covered by funding.

The treatment helps women with breast cancer and can prolong life by six months to a year. Manufactured by pharmaceutical company Roche, it costs £90,000 per patient.

Professor Carole Longson, director of the centre for health technology evaluation at Nice, said: ‘We know that people with cancer place great importance on drugs that can increase their life expectancy.

‘But the reality is that the price of Kadcyla is currently too high in relation to the benefits it gives for it to be recommended for routine commissioning in the NHS, even taking into account the end‑of‑life criteria and the patient access scheme.’

She added: ‘This is not our final recommendation. The draft guidance has been published for consultation.’