Pioneering drug to be made available
A PIONEERING drug to treat advanced breast cancer is set to be made available on the NHS in Wales.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that Perjeta, also known as pertuzumab, should now be available to those who need it.
In preparation for the NICE recommendation, NHS Wales said it worked closely with the medicine’s manufacturer, Roche, to reach an agreement on the drug.
Under the terms of the Welsh Government’s New Treatment Fund, health boards in Wales must now make Perjeta available within 60 days.
Perjeta provides treatment for people whose HER2-positive breast cancer has returned to the breast but is inoperable, or where it has spread to other parts of the body.
Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said: “I’m pleased that Perjeta (pertuzumab) will now be routinely available on the Welsh NHS for people with advanced breast cancer.
“The Welsh Government’s flagship £80m New Treatment Fund is making more medicines available quicker than ever before.”
The announcement could potentially benefit up to 50 women a year in Wales. It will also be available to patients in England.
Dr Catherine Bale, consultant medical oncologist, associate medical director, Wales Cancer Network, said: “This is extremely welcome news for our ladies with advanced breast cancer, who will now have the opportunity to benefit from this effective treatment which can both prolong life and maintain quality of life.
“Making effective treatments available in a timely way to the population of Wales remains a priority and the New Treatment Fund is making this a reality for patients now.”
Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: “This is fantastic news for Welsh patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.
“Perjeta is a life-changing drug and we are thrilled that – following its approval by NICE – the Welsh Government has today confirmed it will be available for women in Wales within the next two months.
“Perjeta’s benefits are extraordinary, offering women with incurable metastatic breast cancer nearly 16 precious extra months with their loved ones compared to existing treatments.”