Posted by Michael Wonder on 28 Jun 2017
Cancer Drugs Fund driving early access to promising new treatments
28 June 2017 - NHS patients in England are getting early access to new drugs for lung cancer and sarcoma, after NICE says they should be available on the Cancer Drugs Fund.
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for lung cancer and olaratumab (Lartruvo) for sarcoma are now available on the Cancer Drugs Fund while more data is gathered on their value.
Changes NICE made to its appraisal process for cancer drugs in April 2016 have allowed more flexibility to recommend drugs which show promise. A new rule has meant that NICE can approve drugs that early studies show are effective but where more data is needed on their long-term benefits.
