Everolimus Proven To Extend Life Of Patients
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has announced it is not planning to approve a drug which has been shown to extend the life of kidney cancer sufferers.
Everolimus, which is also known as Afinitor and is manufactured by Novartis, has been rejected due to concerns that the treatment does not offer a sufficient amount of value for money.
While it has been proven to extend the life of those suffering with kidney-related cancer by around three months, the drug has been judged by NICE to be too expensive.
Mathieu Culverhouse, a lawyer who specialises in health and social care issues for Irwin Mitchell, said: “Decisions like this are deeply concerning, as it is ultimately comes down to a price being put on a person’s life, as well as their human rights.
“This drug is proven to be an effective treatment for extending the life of patients, yet these benefits are seen to be far outweighed by the cost.
“I hope that health authorities reconsider the issues relating to this drug in the future and that patients whose lives could really benefit from such medication are able to gain access to it.”