Merck KGaA’s Erbitux rejection from NICE is “cruel”

NICE’s decision to not approve Erbitux for the treatment of bowel cancer has been described as “cruelty beyond belief” by the Bowel Cancer Campaign.

The regulatory institute deemed that there was uncertainty over the effectiveness of Erbitux and Avastin, which meant that the drugs did not meet NICE’s cost effectiveness requirements.

While admitting that introducing new drugs recklessly could “bankrupt” the NHS, Lynn Faulds Wood, the founder of the Bowel Cancer Campaign, described the ruling as “cruel” because the drugs are available to treat bowel cancer in the US and other European countries.

She told BBC Radio 4’s today programme: “The way we organise things, we dangle them in front of patients, we see other people are getting them, then you can’t get them – it is cruel.”

However, NICE has defended itself from the accusations, with Andrew Dillon, the institute’s chief executive, telling Channel 4 News that institute had a “very difficult” decision to make.

He said: “It’s not just about the cost of the drug – it’s about comparing what a new drug offers compared to what we have at the moment,”

“[The advisory committee] have been in no doubt at all as to just how distressing a disease bowel cancer is,” Mr Dillon concluded.

Last month, the Scottish Medical Consortium approved Erbitux for the treatment of head and neck cancer.

Dr Elizabeth Junior, consultant clinical oncologist at the Western General Hospital, was quoted by the Evening Times as saying that Erbitux is an “exciting” drug for oncologists, adding that she hoped its introduction would follow throughout the UK.

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