Harris to support wider rollout of cancer ‘wonder drug’
Vicky says Pembro ‘changed her life’
SIMON Harris has backed the rollout of the wonderdrug Pembro to all women with cervical cancer following criticism that it would be made available only to those hit by the CervicalCheck scandal. Health Minister Simon Harris met with Professor Michael Barry, director of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, late last week to discuss the proposal and now expects to ‘hear progress very shortly’.
The HSE had warned the Department of Health that it could not stand over a situation where the 221 women affected by the CervicalCheck scandal were granted access to the drug while others suffering with the disease were denied it. Campaigner Vicky Phelan, who credits the drug with saving her life, had also called on the Government to make it more widely available, calling the move a ‘no-brainer.’
Yesterday, a Government source told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘The Minister for Health has now asked the Medicines Management Programme to look at putting measures in place to expand access to Pembro to all clinically suitable women with cervical cancer as part of an overall national effort to effectively eradicate the disease.
‘This, coupled with the move to HPV testing next year and the HPV vaccine for boys next year, is part of a joined-up effort to realise this vision.’
Treatment with Pembro costs €8,500 every three weeks for those who foot the bill privately. It was provided to those hit by the CervicalCheck scandal as part of a suite of support measures rolled out by Government for the 221 victims.
Speaking in the Dáil last week, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had signalled the Government was prepared to tackle the ‘inequity’, but expressed concerns about creating further inequalities for other patients.
He remarked: ‘If it is the case that we will reimburse the cost of medicine that is not licensed for the treatment of one cancer, will the same issue then not arise for other cancers? There are many cancers other than cervical cancer and there are many unlicensed medicines that we do not reimburse. In resolving this inequity... we have to be careful that we do not create a new one. That is part of the dilemma.’
Clinical trials have shown that Pembro works only on a small percentage of patients, but is highly effective in those cases.
The drug typically takes eight months to show positive results, and one proposal is to have patients assessed over a period of time, with the HSE continuing to give the funding if the patient reacts positively.
This is one of a number of options the Taoiseach has signalled will be considered as he confirmed the Government will discuss the issue with the pharmaceutical firm behind Pembro.
He told the Dáil: ‘This could be done by means of a trial, or perhaps as is done in other countries but is often resisted by pharmaceutical companies in this country, by means of a payment-byresult system whereby the reimbursement happens if the medicine actually works. This does not happen much in Ireland but has been done in other countries through a risk-sharing system. We have made contact with Merck Sharp & Dohme [the producers of Pembro] about this in the past. We will renew our contacts in that regard.’
The Irish Patients’ Association welcomed Minister Harris’s commitment but warned that patients suffering from other types of cancers cannot be ignored. ‘We need to see the same commitment for access to these personalised medicines for all cancer patients,’ IPA spokesman Stephen McMahon said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live last week, Vicky Phelan commented on how the drug had changed her life. ‘Most days I don’t even think about having cancer, to be honest, that’s massive to be able to say,’ she told the programme.’
However, there are concerns that the proposed measures will lead to patients with other forms of cancer feeling that they have been unfairly treated.
For example, a 2016 report found Ireland has the second highest rate of prostate cancer in the EU. As with women with cervical cancer, Pembro works for only a small percentage of men diagnosed with prostate cancer, but provides effective treatment in those cases. However, it is not funded by the HSE for men suffering from the disease.
‘Effort to realise this vision’ ‘We need the same for all patients’