Disappointment for UK kidney cancer patients, as NICE rejects Novartis' Afinitor

The UK's medicines watchdog the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has decided against recommending the use of Swiss drug major Novartis' kidney cancer drug Afinitor (everolimus), arguing that it does not offer enough benefit to patients to justify the cost.

Each pack of the drug costs £2,822 ($4,227), with an estimated eight week cycle of treatment costing £5,264 per patient. Novartis has offered a discount for National Health Service use, but even with this, and taking into account new guidance on end-of-life drugs which allows the NICE to approve more expensive drugs that extend life for patients with rare diseases, the treatment was still too expensive, the panel decided.

Sir Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive at the NICE, says in a statement: 'A diagnosis of renal cancer is devastating for patients and those who care for them and we are disappointed not to be able to recommend everolimus as a second line treatment option. However, we to have ensure that the money available to the NHS is used to best effect, particularly when NHS funds, like the rest of the public sector, is under considerable financial pressure.'