23 August 2017 - It is looking likely that patients in England will loose NHS access to Ipsen’s Cometriq and Sanofi Genzyme’s Caprelsa via the Cancer Drugs Fund, after cost-regulators turned down funding for their use.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published draft guidelines rejecting their routine commissioning on the NHS in England and Wales to treat unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic disease, on finding that while clinical trial evidence indicates they are effective in delaying disease progression they may not actually prolong survival.

Both Cometriq (cabozantinib) and Caprelsa (vandetanib) are linked with substantial side effects, so are only used when the disease has become symptomatic and the benefits of treatment outweigh the burden of side effects. However, they are the only systemic treatments available, and the only other option for patients at this stage of disease is best supportive care.

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