Merck KGaA’s Erbitux receives Scottish approval

Merck KGaA’s cancer treatment, Erbitux, has been approved by the Scottish Medical Consortium (SMC) for the treatment of head and neck cancer.

The SMC has said that Erbitux should be used in combination with radiotherapy in patients who are unable to tolerate chemotherapy or where it is unsuitable.

Merck KGaA estimates that 180 people in Scotland are intolerant of chemotherapy and are receiving radiotherapy instead. The net cost of the drug’s introduction will be 350,000 pounds in the first year, which could rise to 900,000 pounds by year five.

Dr Elizabeth Junor, consultant clinical oncologist at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, is quoted by the Evening Times as saying: “Erbitux is an exciting development for oncologists and their patients and provides a welcome new treatment option in this challenging cancer type.”

“Erbitux, when used in combination with radiotherapy, significantly improves patient survival. It is hoped the rest of the UK will soon follow suit with the SMC’s decision,” she added.

The SMC had previously ruled that Erbitux in conjunction with irinotecan should not be prescribed in the NHS Scotland because cost effectiveness could not be demonstrated.

Erbitux’s extended use for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck was approved for marketing by the European Commission in April. Merck KGaA’s Dr Wolfgang Wein said Erbitux “takes head and neck cancer treatment an enormous step forward” and that a “new era” had been opened in the management of the disease, from which survival rates are typically low.

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