NHS spending watchdog U-turns decision to pull funding from vital bone marrow treatment drug
- About 6,000 people in England develop multiple myeloma every year
- The bone cancer causes weak bones that break easily, as well as blurred vision
Patients with bone marrow cancer will now be able to receive a treatment that extends life after NHS spending chiefs reversed their decision not to fund it.
The treatment – a combination of three drugs – will be offered to patients with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer that attacks the spongy tissue in the bones.
The condition causes weak bones that can break easily, as well as blurred vision, dizziness and extreme thirst caused by high levels of calcium in the blood.
Multiple myeloma – which currently has no cure – affects several parts of the body at the same time, such as the spine, skull, pelvis and ribs, and affects around 6,000 people in England every year.
Figures from Cancer Research UK show that only a third of patients survive for ten years with the debilitating disease.
Every year around 6,000 people in England contract multiple myeloma as shown, which currently has no cure
Young patients with multiple myeloma are usually offered a stem cell transplant, which can keep the cancer at bay for several years
Young patients with multiple myeloma are usually offered a stem cell transplant, which can keep the cancer at bay for several years.
Stem cells are produced in the bone marrow and are crucial for the functioning of the body.
The treatment involves heavy doses of chemotherapy and then replacing the stem cells damaged by the chemo. However, older patients are usually not eligible because the procedure is intensive and can be dangerous for those who are already ill.
However, this means that about two-thirds of newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma cannot receive a transplant, leaving them with few options.
In November 2022, a trial found that offering patients ineligible for a stem cell transplant a combination of three powerful drugs – daratumumab, lenalidomide and dexamethasone – kept their cancer under control for another two years compared to those who didn’t get the treatment . The researchers concluded that this meant the patients were also likely to live longer, although final figures on how long the treatment extends life have not yet been published.
In February, NICE rejected the drug combination because it did not believe it was cost-effective. Now, seven months later, it has reversed its decision and will fund the treatment of all newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma who are not eligible for a stem cell transplant.
Shelagh McKinlay, director of research and advocacy at the charity Myeloma UK, said: ‘Patients will now finally be able to benefit from a potentially life-extending treatment that could buy them valuable time with their loved ones.’