The Cancer Drugs Fund will continue
to pay for the breast cancer treatment Kadcyla, after the company Roche
cut its price, the NHS in England has said.
The fund, which pays
for drugs not routinely available on the NHS, has been cutting the
number it offers, in order to balance the books.Many, including breast cancer treatment Avastin, remain off the fund's list, as treatments for certain tumours.
Charities say the fund is worryingly unstable and causes patients anxiety.
16 medicines have been taken off the list because NHS experts said they did not provide enough benefit for the amount of cost. Kadcyla (also known as trastuzumab emtansine) was expected to be axed. Initial costs were set at £90,000 per patient.
Evidence suggests it can add six months of life on average to women dying with an aggressive form of breast cancer.
The current fund will remain in place until 1 April 2016.
NHS England and NICE will be discussing proposals for a new system in the coming weeks .
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