Pfizer receives Scottish Medicines Consortium approval for Xalkori

Pfizer has announced that its lung cancer therapy Xalkori has received approval from the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

The therapy has now been recommended for use within NHS Scotland for previously-treated ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer, following a positive health technology assessment process.

Previously, the only other treatment option available for this patient group in Scotland was chemotherapy, which is not appropriate or effective among all disease sufferers.

The consortium's decision means that Scotland now becomes the first country in the UK where patients are able to access Xalkori routinely on the NHS.

Dr David Montgomery, medical director for Pfizer Oncology UK, said: “Historically, access to cancer medicines has been a challenge in Scotland, but this decision is a positive step towards ensuring that cancer diagnosis and treatments are more targeted to specific cancer types."

Earlier this month, it was announced that Pfizer and Lilly have entered into a new collaboration with the Joslin Diabetes Center to find new ways to predict and treat kidney failure in type 2 diabetes patients.