Money runs out for life-enhancing drug
Jan 29 2008 by Audrey Barton, The Journal
A FAMILY who raised £36,000 to pay for a cancer drug denied to them by the NHS are running out of funds after they were told they must pay for all standard free treatment.
Karen Gault, 43, is living with incurable bowel cancer and is facing the uncertainly of not knowing whether she will be able to afford spiralling costs for her treatment.
The mother-of-one launched a fundraising drive after health chiefs ruled out giving her the drug Avastin, which she believes will let her have extra years with husband Paul and daughter Grace.
The family, of Jesmond, Newcastle, managed to raise more than enough cash for the treat-ment, which they see as a top-up to her chemotherapy, after a massive response from friends, colleagues and from Journal readers who were touched by their story.
But the NHS now deems Karen to be a private patient and will not fund the chemotherapy and drugs she was receiving before starting the £25,000 treatment in November.
Her treatment, which includes Avastin – currently refused funding on the NHS by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice) – other chemotherapy drugs, blood tests and scans, costs £5,000 a month.
“Karen’s cancer is terminal and we have come to terms with that. We are trying to extend the time she can have,” said Paul.
“We have enough money to pay up until March. After that we may have to fundraise again. We are waiting to see what the doctors say.
“We had to go private to get Avastin as even though it is licensed, Nice don’t deem it cost-effective to fund on the NHS.
“So we are stuck in this co-payments trap where we have to pay for everything else.”
The family is waiting for the results on an appeal to NHS North of Tyne for Avastin to be funded under exceptional circumstances.
Their hopes have been raised further after the drug manufacturer Roche announced yesterday that the European Commission has approved the drug in combination with any standard chemotherapy at any stage of a patient’s treatment for advanced bowel cancer.
Previously it could only be used with certain drugs and the new licence extension is only available via private health care in the UK. However, the manufacturer is hopeful this may be reviewed.
A Roche spokeswoman said: “This broader label has the potential to revolutionise bowel cancer treatment in the UK.
“Importantly, it may also meet the cost-effectiveness criteria for use in the NHS in the UK.”
A spokeswoman for Nice said it had not received a referral from the Department of Health to review its guidance in relation to Avastin.
A Newcastle Primary Care Trust spokeswoman said: “We note with interest the information from Europe. However, we still look to the Nice guidance for the use of Avastin.”
Comment: Page 10
