The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has launched public consultations on draft recommendations for two separate prostate cancer drugs. The guidance makes recommendations on whether or not the treatments should be routinely funded by the NHS.

NICE is recommending radium-223 dichloride (also called Xofigo) as a treatment for some people with prostate cancer which has stopped responding to hormone therapy (known as hormone relapsed) and has spread to the bone (bone metastases).

The draft guidance says the drug, which is manufactured by Bayer, appears to be particularly effective for those who have already been treated with the chemotherapy drug, docetaxel. It also says the drug should only be prescribed if the company makes the treatment available at a discounted rate.

Professor Carole Longson, director of the NICE Health Technology Evaluation Centre, said: “Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and this disease is responsible for more than 1 in 10 male cancer deaths. It is important that the NHS can provide these men with affordable treatments that will make the most difference to their lives.

For more details, go to: http://www.nice.org.uk/news/press-and-media/nice-publishes-draft-guidance-for-two-prostate-cancer-treatments