LONDON, Jul 12 (Reuters) - The British government on Wednesday referred
about a dozen cancer drugs to the country's industry watchdog to produce
guidelines on their use.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), which advises the
National Health Service on the use of drugs, said it would begin this week to
consult patient organisations, professional bodies and manufacturers on some of
the drugs.
The Health Ministry said some of the drugs were being used to wildly varying
degrees across the UK and that NICE would produce guidelines to ensure there was
equal access to them.
NICE will examine, for example, why the Trent region now spends 12 times as
much on temozolamide, a brain cancer drug, as the equally populous Northern and
Yorkshire region.
Health Minister John Denham said in a statement that "for too many people,
for too long, access to cancer care has depended on where they live".
The other drugs referred to NICE for investigation over the next two years
are:
-- inrinotecan, oxaliplatin and raltitrexed for colorectal cancer
-- paclitaxel, vinorelbine, gemcitabine and docetaxel for lung cancer
-- rituximab for blood cancers
-- vinorelbine and trastuzumab for breast cancer
-- topotecan for ovarian cancer
-- gemcitabine for pancreatic cancer
