Perjecta (pertuzumab) and Kadcycla (trastuzumab emtansine) remain available through Cancer Drugs Fund, but Avastin (bevacizumab) denied

Roche welcomes the announcement from NHS England that patients can continue to access our breast cancer medicines Perjeta, Kadcyla and Avastin via the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), but is extremely disappointed that patients with advanced bowel and ovarian cancer will now be denied Avastin on the NHS, following their review of medicines available through the CDF.

“We are pleased that we have been able to work collaboratively with NHS England to maintain access via the CDF to our highly innovative and clinically effective medicines for breast cancer, Perjeta and Kadcyla, at prices that reflect their clinical benefit. The review demonstrates that industry and NHS England can work together to make sure the very latest medicines are available to patients.” said Dr Jayson Dallas, General Manager, Roche Products Limited. “Patients will still be able to access Avastin for a number of cancers but we are disappointed that, for the time being, the value of Avastin to advanced bowel and ovarian cancer patients has not been recognised; we do not agree with NHS England’s assessment and feel that critical evidence was not taken into account.”

Dr Dallas continued: “The CDF has been successful in enabling patients to receive newer cancer medicines not routinely available on the NHS.  However, we are now seeing the first casualties of a failure to reform the wider system of access for established cancer medicines, such as Avastin, which is being taken away from patients with some forms of cancer.  Avastin is the most clinically requested cancer medicine through the CDF and the standard of care for advanced bowel and ovarian cancer in the England and Europe. Industry and the NHS now urgently need to look at the wider system of access to ensure that patients can continue to benefit from more established treatments which the CDF can no longer fund.”

The review is a step forward as to how cancer medicines could be evaluated in the future to make sure they are available to patients at cost-effective prices for the NHS.  Roche calls upon NHS England to work with us to ensure longer-term, sustainable access to clinically effective, standard of care medicines such as Avastin.

Roche medicines which remain listed on the CDF following review by NHS England, and continue to be available to patients:

• Kadcyla – for the treatment of HER2-positive locally advanced/unresectable or metastatic (Stage IV) breast cancer who previously received trastuzumab and a taxane, separately or in combination
• Perjeta – for the first line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, in combination with docetaxel and trastuzumab
• Erivedge^®(vismodegib) – for the treatment of symptomatic metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC), or locally advanced BCC inappropriate for surgery or radiotherapy
• Avastin – for the treatment of second-line metastatic bowel cancer, first-line advanced ovarian cancer, and triple negative metastatic breast cancer

Roche medicines which are no longer listed on the CDF following review by NHS England, and will not be available to patients from March 2015 onwards:

• Avastin – for the treatment of first-line metastatic bowel cancer and second-line platinum-sensitive advanced ovarian cancer