£160m ‘Covid-friendly’ drugs fund set up for cancer patients
MILLIONS of pounds in funding for “Covid-friendly” cancer drugs has been announced in the hope of reducing the risk to thousands of patients being treated during the pandemic.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said a £160m initiative will pay for drugs which could have less impact on a patient’s immune system or require fewer hospital visits.
Cancer charities welcomed the announcement, describing it as “encouraging news” for people who might have otherwise had their treatment put on hold because of the virus outbreak.
Some of the new options allow cancer patients to take tablets at home or have medicines with fewer side-effects, rather than being given hospital-based treatment that could leave them more vulnerable to coronavirus and other infections, NHS England said.
The options available include
targeted hormone therapies such as enzalutamide for prostate cancer and wider use of lenalidomide in the treatment of bone marrow cancer.
Almost 2,000 people underwent what NHS England described as less risky but effective cancer therapies during the first few months of the outbreak, when the alternative could have been delayed or cancelled treatment.
Sir Simon said: “We are now adopting new, kinder treatment options which are not only effective but safer for use during the Covid-19 pandemic and more convenient for thousands of patients, who can take medication at home or be given medicines with less harmful effects on their immune system.”
Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said: “This is encouraging news for some patients, who could now go ahead with their treatment, when it might have previously been on hold due to Covid-19.”
The news comes as Boris Johnson ordered officials to work up a plan for avoiding a second national lockdown. The Prime Minister is considering asking the elderly to shield once again following news last Thursday that parts of West Yorkshire were going into stricter lockdown.