NICE turns down another breast cancer drug

NICE has issued a final decision not to recommend the advanced breast cancer treatment, Afinitor® (everolimus), to be available to patients on the NHS. Everolimus will continue to be available to patients in England only via the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), however, there is uncertainty around access for future patients as the fund may come to an end in 2014 and there is no clear direction as to how treatments will be funded after this. Everolimus is the first new licensed therapeutic approach in fifteen years offering an impact on hormone responsive advanced breast cancer which affects over 30,000 women