Janssen Cilag’s Velcade sought after by three women

A legal challenge to NICE’s decision not to recommend Velcade, the Janssen-Cilag drug used for the treatment of multiple myeloma, has been mounted by three women from Keighley, West Yorkshire.

Despite the widespread approval of the drug in Europe – as well as Scotland – NICE decided not to recommend Velcade on the NHS after its approval committee said it was “not persuaded” over the effectiveness of the drug.

Additionally, the manufacturer should have submitted more data comparing Velcade with other treatments currently available, the institution claimed.

However, Janice Wrigglesworth, Jacky Pickles and Marie Morton, who all received Velcade previously in clinical trials, have launched a joint bid to force NICE to overturn its decision and allow access to the drug, which could improve life expectancy.

Mrs Pickles told the BBC: “With myeloma there is no cure, we at best hope for a long plateau phase, but this drug gives us quality of life.”

“It is allowing me to live and see the things I want to see. It gives me hope that I will live longer and see my 22-year-old son Sean settled,” she added.

Cancerbackup, the cancer information charity, described NICE’s decision as “desperately disappointing”.

Joanne Rule, chief executive of Cancerbackup, stated: “We urge NICE to give a positive final decision.”

Eric Low, the executive director of the International Myeloma Foundation, was quoted by the Telegraph as saying the decision was “shocking” and “unjust, unfair and ill-informed.

Cancer Research claims that 3,700 cases of multiple myeloma are diagnosed in the UK every year, with the disease slightly more prevalent in men.

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